How fast does TikTok send users down the antisemitic rabbit hole?

When I open TikTok, I mostly see cute videos of dogs, and inside jokes related to niche corners of my life — being a millennial living in Brooklyn with roommates, say, or working in journalism. There may be a few calming videos of cooking or crafts. The most problematic part of the app, for me, is its ability to hypnotize, making hours of my time vanish.

Yet according to an open letter Jewish creators on the platform released in November — which echoes what I’ve learned over several years of reporting —TikTok has an antisemitism problem, one critics say has reached new heights during the Israel-Hamas war. The CEO of the video app met with Jewish organizations and leaders in December to address concerns that it was driving and boosting antisemitism, and the issue has received extensive coverage.

The answer is, on its surface, simple: I’m not into conspiracy theories. The platform knows this, and after years of use — I signed up for my personal account in 2020 — its algorithm knows what I want (and don’t want) to see. The app steers me away from antisemitism so assuredly that it’s sometimes hard to find even when I’m actively looking for it in my role as a journalist, instead of absent-mindedly scrolling as an everyday dog-lover.

But I know other casual users do encounter incredibly hateful speech, twisted conspiracy theories and antisemitic harassment on the platform. So I wanted to see what TikTok might show an average, young new user — whether it would spiral into hate speech, and just how it would get me there.

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