TikTok settled its social media addiction lawsuit in March, hours before trial — a legal concession that coincided neatly with the platform's most engagement-rich period in years. [1] The Iran war has turned conflict content into TikTok's dominant genre. Creators who once made dance videos are now posting explainer clips about the Strait of Hormuz. The algorithm, which optimizes for watch time and emotional intensity, is surfacing war content with mechanical efficiency.

Whistleblowers told The News International that TikTok and Meta are locked in an "algorithm arms race" that has loosened content moderation guardrails in the pursuit of engagement. [2] The result is a feed environment where anxiety-producing content outperforms everything else. A counter-movement is emerging — the LA Times profiled "anti-doomscrolling influencers" gaining followers by coaching users to track and reduce their consumption. [3] Gen Z users are logging media diets like calorie counts, according to Business Insider. [4] The platform profits from the problem and the backlash simultaneously. War is good for engagement. So is the guilt about watching it.

-- LUCIA VEGA, Miami