New Study Finds Viewing Political TikTok Influencers Can Increase Negative Emotional Affect in Young Adults 

According to a new study, researchers found that young adults who viewed political influencers on TikTok reported an increased negative emotional affect. 

Co-authored by Assistant Professor Abdelaziz Alsharawy, PhD, in Management, Policy, and Community Health at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, the study was recently published in Political Studies Review. 

The research examined the emotional responses of 232 students from a public university-mandated course, enrolling students from different demographic groups and fields of study. 

Before completing the study’s procedures spanning five days, many participants reported using TikTok either daily or at least weekly (86%). Participants, who self-reported as 37% liberal, 32% moderate, and 31% conservative, were then assigned to watch select videos from a list of influencers, specializing in creating political content (pro-Republican or pro-Democrat) or in non-political (control) content. After watching identified videos daily, early results from the field study found increased negative emotional affect after consuming daily content from political creators. 

The research team conducted content analysis of TikTok videos during the study period and found subtle variations across political influencers in terms of facial and voice expressions. “Using this data, we found that consuming political content on TikTok increased negative emotional affect but had seemingly no effect on political attitudes,” shared Alsharawy. “Study participants exposed to political influencers reported higher levels of negative affect such as feelings of being distressed, upset, and afraid. This underscores potential adverse effects of platforms like TikTok on emotional wellbeing.” 

The results found that 75% of the respondents use TikTok often or occasionally for news sources, highlighting the importance of understanding the emotional and cognitive effects of the platform. 

“We urge further studies to verify the negative effect of TikTok on emotional affect and to test potential mitigating interventions to address it,” Alsharawy stated. The use of the app may cause adverse effects as young adults are undergoing substantial cognitive development, according to Alsharawy.  

Researchers aim to expand this study to a larger population and other short-form social media platforms such as Instagram/Facebook reels and YouTube shorts.  

This field study was conducted before any state or federal bans on TikTok, usage by public employees, or otherwise severely limited access to it.