10/07/2025

How TikTok Keeps Its Users Scrolling for Hours a Day

This article examines how "power users" are created

Jon Freilich, a 51-year-old operations manager in California, described his TikTok behavior as an addiction.

"I've never smoked or used drugs, so I don’t know what chemical addiction feels like, but I feel like I’m addicted to TikTok," said Freilich, whose daily watch time on the app increased by more than 50 percent last year. "There are times when I know I should stop scrolling and get work done or go to sleep, but it’s so hard to stop, knowing the next swipe might bring me to a truly interesting video."

That’s how TikTok draws people in, with an algorithm that serves up an endless stream of hyper-personalized content to users such as Freilich.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.