Layla Osborn's Design, Arts and Technology Capstone Research

Addictive Design and Legal Accountability in Social Media This week, I explored a recent court case that examines whether social media platforms are intentionally designed to encourage addictive behavior. The case involved a plaintiff, K.G.M., who sued Meta Platforms and Google, arguing that features like infinite scrolling and algorithm-driven recommendations contributed to serious mental health issues. In March 2026, the jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff, awarding her $6 million in damages. This decision is important because it suggests that platform design itself (not just user behavior) can be held responsible for harm. It raises questions about whether features commonly used in apps like TikTok are intentionally designed to keep users engaged for long periods. What I find most relevant to my project is how this case reframes familiar design elements as persuasive tools. Features like TikTok’s endless feed and personalized “For You Page” mirror the same engagement strategies dis...

This section of my research focuses on the direct effects that excessive short-form content, such as TikTok videos, can have on people, particularly younger generations. One study titled “The effect of short-form video addiction on undergraduates’ academic procrastination: a moderated mediation model” examined how short-form video use affects undergraduate students. The researchers explained that short videos, like those on TikTok, have become a major source of entertainment, but their popularity has also led to growing concerns about addiction. This kind of overuse can negatively impact both mental and physical health. The study specifically looked at how short-video addiction relates to academic procrastination. The findings showed that students who are more addicted to short-form videos tend to procrastinate more on their schoolwork. This happens not only directly, but also indirectly because excessive video use weakens attention control. The study also considered personality trait...

TikTok Origin/History and Statistics TikTok’s origins help explain its rapid rise in popularity. It began as three separate apps. In 2014, Musical.ly launched in Shanghai with strong U.S. market ties and quickly gained popularity among American teens. In 2016, Chinese tech giant ByteDance launched Douyin in China, attracting 100 million users within a year. Recognizing its global potential, ByteDance bought Musical.ly in 2018, merged it into TikTok, and began international expansion. According to Statista, TikTok now has about 1.99 billion active users worldwide, making it one of the largest social platforms ever.(Sources from: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53640724 & https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/)  TikTok’s “secret” lies in its algorithm. Unlike traditional social networks that prioritize friends and followers, TikTok’s system immediately analyzes every user interaction (watch time, pauses, rewatches, and swi...

The Brown Public Health Journal article (https://youtu.be/vcTh35zptAk?si=9rpnnqNDicon8KM5) I found explores how TikTok’s rapid growth raises concerns about youth mental health. Rather than treating TikTok as simply another entertainment app, the article situates it within a broader body of research linking social media use to depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, and low self-esteem among adolescents and young adults. The article contains multiple peer-reviewed studies that reinforce these concerns. Lin et al. (2016) found a strong association between social media use and depression in U.S. young adults. Woods and Scott (2016) reported that nighttime social media use correlated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, and low self-esteem among teenagers. Similarly, Levenson et al. (2016) connected high social media engagement with sleep disturbance. While these studies do not prove causation, the consistency of the findings across different populations is shocking. What makes TikTok real...

One of the key frameworks for understanding TikTok’s popularity is gamification, a concept explored by the first source, Interaction Design Foundation. According to their article on gamification, games appeal to fundamental human motivations such as achievement, challenge, and social connection.  These techniques are not just limited to games, as social media platforms have been using gamification techniques to increase viewer engagement and retention. The Interaction Design Foundation defines gamification as the use of game-like elements in non-game contexts to motivate users. These techniques often include rewards, feedback loops, and progress systems. TikTok’s design reflects this clearly through features such as autoplay, infinite scrolling, personalized feed (highly adaptive algorithm), and unpredictable rewards in the form of viral or highly engaging videos.  Each swipe keeps users entertained as they don’t know what they’ll get next, but the possibility of an entertaini...