Youth Feed Safety & Habit Architecture Auditor

Feed Architecture

Alabama Lawsuit Baseline

Audit Scenario Presets

Variable Reward Schedule 85%

Ratio of high-novelty dopamine hits to mundane clips in algorithmic queue.

Autoplay & Zero-Friction Inertia 90%

Immediate continuous scroll auto-advance without confirmation boundary.

Algorithmic Rabbit-Hole Bias 75%

Tunneling intensity into extreme/sensitive content based on micro-pauses.

Simulated Viewer Age 14 yrs

Cognitive impulse control & prefrontal cortex vulnerability threshold.

Settlement Protections

Night Curfew Nudge (10 PM)

Locks feed progression and dims UI after 45m past bedtime.

Mandatory Session Break Wall

Requires active user passcode/reflection to exceed 60 min.

Beauty & Dysmorphia Filters

Default AI face reshaping on incoming videos for minors.

Push Notification Nudges

FOMO alerts triggered when session closes.

Algorithmic Session Live Simulator

Feed active. Drag or scroll to advance

Session Time 02:15

Clips Consumed 8

Dopamine Spike 74%

Exit Inertia Very Hard

Regulatory Exposure

AG Risk Index

Addiction Hazard SEVERE RISK

/ 100 Hazard Index

Violates Alabama settlement safety benchmarks: Unmitigated variable reward schedule coupled with late-night auto-advance for users under 16.

Settlement Violation Checklist

Estimated Alabama Penalty Class

$100,000,000+

Matches Alabama AG lawsuit settlement terms ($100M floor) for systemic minor safety misrepresentation.

The Alabama $100M Settlement Precedent

In September 2026, TikTok agreed to pay the State of Alabama at least $100 million to settle state investigations alleging the platform was intentionally designed to addict children and misrepresented its safety protections. This audit tool evaluates the core technical mechanics cited by state attorneys general.

Variable Reward & Habit Reinforcement

Short-form recommendation algorithms implement B.F. Skinner operant conditioning. By delivering unpredictable bursts of high-stimulation content interspersed with rapid skips, the feed creates psychological friction against exiting, disproportionately impairing adolescent self-regulation.

Friction Engineering as Remedy

Legal remedies do not require shutting down feeds; they mandate "choice architecture friction": hard session locks after 60 minutes for minors, default disablement of infinite autoplay after 10 PM, restriction of predatory push re-engagement, and opt-in beauty filters.