TikTok to launch meditation feature in face of lawsuits and criticism over the app's effects on children

Plagued with lawsuits and allegations of harming users' mental health, especially that of children, social media sensation TikTok is turning to meditation to promote wellness and deter late-night doomscrolling. TikTok said Thursday that it was launching in-app guided meditation exercises and other well-being features aimed at young users. The company, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, said it began testing the new meditation exercises with select teens earlier this year and will now make them available to users of all ages. TikTok said that the meditation feature, aimed at improving sleep quality, is triggered during "sleep hours" and will be turned on by default for users under the age of 18. If these young users are on the app after 10 p.m., their "For You" feed will be interrupted by the guided meditation exercise. If a teen continues to use TikTok after the first reminder, the company will show a second full-screen meditation prompt. The meditation app was teased earlier ... Read full article.