TikTok: A Unique Marketing Tool or a Sticky Threat to Security and Mental Health?
- Res Publica
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
Over the years, TikTok has risen to become a global entertainment and information ecosystem, with a monthly user base reaching nearly 1.6 billion people. Propastop analyzed whether the platform—which claims to have around 400,000 users in Estonia (a figure provided by TikTok that cannot be independently verified)—is truly “a place where every company and politician must be, because that’s where the consumer and voter are,” or if it poses a potential threat to society’s psychological resilience and the mental health of young people.
Ranno Tamm, with his deep bass voice, is arguably one of the most popular Estonians on TikTok (username: trannot). The young man from Põlva County has had his music videos viewed tens of millions of times and boasts over 1.2 million followers. Many of his clips are filmed in the stairwell of an apartment building—”to wake up the neighbors,” as he jokes—but there are also direct promotional videos suggesting marketing collaborations, such as with a jacket brand.
Everything would be fine if TikTok served only as harmless entertainment and, why not, a platform for commercial announcements. Unfortunately, the platform also has darker sides, enabling manipulation of the human psyche and the spread of disinformation. In this regard, Propastop wrote in the spring about how TikTok has also become a battleground for propaganda in Estonia, where Kremlin narratives are allowed to spread unchecked (3). Another distinctive feature of the platform is its higher proportion of younger users. For example, a media study in Finland found that more than half of 13- to 18-year-olds shape their worldview significantly through TikTok. Additionally, 40% of 13- to 18-year-olds claimed that TikTok is their primary news source, providing all or nearly all the information they need (4). Unfortunately, a similar study for Estonia is currently lacking.
Next, we will examine the various facets of TikTok: the platform’s addictiveness and algorithms, its impact on the mental health of young people, privacy concerns and ties to China, hostile influence activities, and its political and marketing uses.
Addictive Design and the Young Brain
Statistics confirm that TikTok is at the forefront of time-consuming social media platforms. The average user spends over an hour a day on TikTok—approximately 35 hours a month—clearly more than on Facebook or Instagram.
An analysis by The Washington Post revealed that so-called “light users,” who initially spent around 30 minutes a day on the platform, were using it for more than 70 minutes a day just a few months later. The statistics are topped by users who are glued to TikTok for more than four hours a day (5).
The reason for this lies in a phenomenon known in marketing as “stickiness,” which is built into the platform’s design. The endless stream of short, fast-paced videos creates a variable reward system, optimized for each user’s profile and automatically playing the next clip: each new video could be either boring or perfectly tailored to your taste. This is the same mechanism that underpins gambling systems.
Estonian neuroscientist Jaan Aru has warned for years that smart devices—especially those that keep young people immersed in social media’s virtual worlds for hours each day—”control our attention and thus our time and future” by tapping into the brain’s motivation system and fundamentally altering it (6).
TikTok responds strongly to content that evokes intense emotions in users. Anything that prompts comments or shares helps the algorithm conclude that it “paid off” (7). Studies and journalistic reviews have shown that this can lead to extremely narrow content bubbles (e.g., videos featuring a specific racial profile, extreme political content, or a single body type), where users repeatedly encounter the same type of stimuli (8). This “micro-bubble” effect increases addictiveness because the feed feels both “perfectly tailored” to the individual and constantly slightly provocative.
In this context, TikTok acts as the most concentrated “novelty machine” for young brains, where—even without lifting a finger—new addiction-inducing stimuli continuously appear, delivering small dopamine hits and eroding the ability to focus deeply.
Mental Health: The Risk Is Not Hypothetical
A U.S. report focused on social media and youth mental health concludes that, based on existing evidence, “we cannot claim that social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents.” It calls for restrictions on design features that foster addiction, such as infinite scrolling and autoplay (9)—both of which are core elements of TikTok.
Studies specifically examining TikTok have revealed direct links to mental health risks. Research conducted in Greece found that more intensive TikTok use among teenagers is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and daytime sleepiness (10). Scientists have also discovered that users dependent on TikTok experience significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness compared to moderate users (11).
This issue is not abstract in the Estonian context either. The core of Jaan Aru’s warnings remains the same: if a child’s motivation system becomes accustomed to constant micro-rewards from an early age, their ability to focus deeply, learn, and engage in interpersonal relationships—skills that a healthy society depends on—will suffer.
Incidentally, it is paradoxical that TikTok, an internationally owned platform by the Chinese, does not operate in China itself. Instead, the state-approved local version, Douyin—owned by the same company—is used there. Its “youth mode” restricts usage to about 40 minutes per day and directs children toward educational, scientific, and patriotic content (12). Meanwhile, young people in the West receive a very different package from the same company: TikTok, optimized for maximum screen time and addiction-driven algorithms.
Privacy and Security Risks
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech giant that generated $150 billion in revenue last year. Naturally, it is subject to China’s legal framework. Under China’s National Intelligence Law, all organizations and citizens are required to “support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work”, including secretly if necessary (13).
For this reason, EU and NATO institutions, as well as most member states—including Estonia—have banned TikTok from official devices. The platform is, as mentioned, also banned in China itself, as well as in several neighboring countries such as India, Afghanistan, and Iran—perhaps they understand China’s intentions more closely. In Europe, TikTok is banned in Albania.
TikTok builds extensive profiles of its users by collecting: Biometric data, including facial and voice analysis, Viewing and search history, Device data, Location, Interactions
This context also explains why European regulatory bodies have taken a tough stance on TikTok. In Ireland, where TikTok’s servers are located, the Data Protection Commission imposed a €345 million fine in 2023 for mishandling children’s data (14). In 2025, an additional €530 million fine was issued for transferring user data to China in a manner that violated GDPR requirements (15).
Information Operations and Radicalization
In the midst of all this, disinformation floods the platform. Systematic influence operations have been thoroughly documented. Russia uses TikTok to undermine Ukraine’s reputation, destabilize the politics of Moldova and Romania, and erode support for Ukraine.
For example, DFRLab and the BBC identified a large network of pro-Kremlin fake accounts on TikTok last year. This network produced thousands of videos and reached hundreds of thousands of followers, aiming to smear Ukrainian leaders and portray them as corrupt figures who misuse international aid funds for luxury villas and other extravagances during the war (16).
In its analysis, the Soufan Center describes “TikTok Jihad,” explaining how extremist groups use the platform’s soft, emotionally engaging content for recruitment. They later direct youth to closed channels (such as Telegram), where overt jihadist propaganda is disseminated (17).
China’s Influence Operations
China employs both direct state media accounts and covert networks (such as Spamouflage (18)) to influence U.S. domestic political debates and cultivate an image of a “declining West” and a “responsible China” (19).
In Estonia, Propastop has highlighted a series of Russian-language TikTok accounts that blend entertainment and politics in a way that normalizes Kremlin narratives about Estonia, NATO, and Ukraine in the daily information flow of young people (20).
A Paradise and Trap for Marketing and Politics
Paradoxically, the same infrastructure that effectively spreads hostile narratives and extremist ideas also serves as a handy tool for selling advent calendars (21) or politicians’ promises (22).
Estonian marketing agencies describe TikTok as a channel with “exceptional” potential for organic growth, though it may not always be sustainable. Marketers argue that TikTok’s reach is so strong that every business should use it (23). The platform is considered a powerful marketing tool for companies aiming to connect with younger, tech-savvy audiences.
For example, Johannes Sepp, a digital strategist at VAAS, argues that TikTok has been a lifeline for organic marketing success in recent years—a platform where it was possible to achieve excellent results without a large advertising budget. While organic reach has declined, he emphasizes that businesses must now act more strategically and invest in advertising on TikTok if they want to maintain visibility (24).
The logic of “the consumer/voter is there, so I must be there too” is understandable from a marketing perspective. The problem is that this same addictive, emotion-driven platform is also an ideal tool for hostile information operations and a burden on mental health.
Given all the above, Estonian (as well as Finnish and Latvian) government institutions justifiably decided to avoid creating official TikTok accounts due to ethical and reputational concerns.
Why Can’t We Ignore This?
The problem doesn’t disappear, and overall, TikTok emerges as a platform that is simultaneously:
First and foremost, an effective marketing channel for reaching Generation Z,
A deeply addictive environment that threatens the mental health of young people,
A privacy and security risk, backed by China’s legal framework and the logic of global data collection,
Russia, China, and extremist movements increasingly use TikTok as a tool for information operations.
Propastop argues that for Estonia, the question of TikTok isn’t just about “whether to use or ban it.” The real issue is that we cannot afford to ignore this space.
As a country, we need to understand what is happening in this channel:
What narratives are shaping the worldview and mental health of our youth?
What addiction mechanisms are being used to capture and hold their attention?
How and when is TikTok being used as a tool for hostile information operations or radicalization?
Only through situational awareness can we shape sensible responses. TikTok isn’t going anywhere. The question is whether we leave this addictive space to the mercy of algorithms and foreign interests, or whether we, as a nation, choose to understand and consciously regulate it. And, of course, every business and politician must also act responsibly.
What makes TikTok a particularly risky platform for young people?
1. Neuropsychological Vulnerability
In young brains, reward and impulse centers develop faster than self-control.
TikTok’s design—short videos, autoplay, and emotionally charged content—can overwhelm this fragile self-regulation.
2. Identity and Worldview Formation
TikTok often provides initial understandings of politics, relationships, body image, racial issues, money, and success. If this information comes from a narrow, algorithm-driven bubble, there’s a risk of:
Normalizing toxic behavior,
Accepting extremist content as “normal,”
Believing misinformation or distorted facts (“Everyone says so, so it must be true”).
3. Addictive Patterns Before Alternatives Develop
If TikTok becomes a habit as early as 10–13 years old, then:
Books, longer videos, deep learning, and real hobbies lose their competitive appeal.
The Infosphere and Democracy on TikTok
Algorithms don’t prioritize truth and facts—they prioritize engagement. Emotional, conflict-driven, and shocking content spreads far more effectively than balanced or dry information.
Risks:
Political socialization of young people happens on the platform’s terms, not through education or traditional news media.
Misinformation and manipulative content can gain massive visibility.
A favorable channel for external influence (authoritarian regimes, extremist movements).
Why Is TikTok More Addictive Than Other Platforms?
Metrics: Users spend more time on TikTok than on any other social media platform.
Design:
Endless autoplay scroll with no natural stopping points.
Ultra-short video clips that minimize cognitive load.
Algorithm:
Highly aggressive personalization, optimizing primarily for:
User time spent
Frequency of return visits
Psychology:
The reward system is variable, resulting in unpredictable dopamine triggers.
“Flow state” immersion maintains users in a near-hypnotic engagement loop.
Highly emotional content that triggers strong reactions.
Social comparison (e.g., likes, trends, challenges).
Random success for creators, reinforcing compulsive posting.
Commerce and Content Integration:
TikTok Shop leverages the same mechanisms to drive impulse purchasing.
Sources:
Article first time published on Propastop web page. Prepared for publication by volunteers from the Res Publica - The Center for Civil Resistance.
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