On 9 February 2009, a button appeared that would change the internet forever. The Facebook 'Like' feature ended chronological timelines and introduced an algorithm-driven machine prioritising popularity over recency. Feeds shifted from friends and family to celebrities and brands, paving the way for viral content, influencers, and the transformation of social networks into social media.
Other platforms such as Instagram and Twitter followed suit, before TikTok supercharged the paradigm with its aggressively optimised 'For You' feed. The results have been devastating. In 2016, military-linked accounts in Myanmar used Facebook to spread hate speech against the Rohingya minority, with a UN investigator describing the algorithm as a 'beast' that fuelled ethnic cleansing.
A leaked internal Facebook study found that more than half of people who joined extremist groups did so because the algorithm recommended them. Movements like QAnon and antivaxxers thrived on the algorithm's drive to keep users clicking, while vulnerable individuals fell into despair-filled feeds that cost them their lives.
Amnesty International's 2024 report, 'Dragged into the Rabbit Hole', revealed that children as young as 13 were plunged into a 'toxic cycle' of mental health content by TikTok's algorithm within minutes. One case study, Maelle, saw three-quarters of her feed become self-harm and suicide content within weeks. Another victim, Marie Le Tiec, took her own life after an algorithm-fuelled crisis; her parents said: 'For these platforms, our children become products instead of human beings.'
Countries are now considering social media bans for children. Australia became the first to enforce a total ban for under-16s last year, and the UK, France, and others may follow. TikTok said it has over 50 preset features for teen safety, while Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has also faced scrutiny over its algorithms.
