TikTok gave users a placebo Algo Refresh safety tool, New York lawsuit alleges

TikTok Algo Refresh, the button that is supposed to wipe your "For You" feed clean, is at the center of a new allegation from New York. According to an amended complaint that a judge ordered unsealed this week, TikTok gave thousands of users, including teens and children, a placebo version of the feature in 2023. They thought they were resetting their feeds. Nothing changed.

Reuters first reported the unsealed claims on October 7. TikTok says the lawsuit paints a false picture of how the tool works. But the allegation strikes at something many parents and young users rely on: the idea that a safety control does what it says.

What the TikTok Algo Refresh lawsuit claims

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued TikTok in October 2024, alongside 14 other state attorneys general. That original complaint accused the company of misrepresenting how safe its tools were, including a feature called Refresh. At the end of August 2026, New York filed an updated complaint under seal. A judge has now ordered it unsealed, and the details are new.

Here is the core claim, as reported by Reuters and The Next Web:

• The feature. Algo Refresh lets a user reset their recommendations, which is meant to help people escape a feed full of unwanted or potentially harmful videos.
• The test. In 2023, TikTok repeatedly ran experiments in which some users who switched on Algo Refresh got a version that did not work. Their feeds stayed the same while they believed the reset had happened.
• The goal. The complaint alleges the tests were designed to measure how the feature affected time spent in the app and ad revenue.
• The fine print. New York also alleges TikTok told users the tool would reset their algorithm, when the reset was only temporary.

Reuters says the complaint describes "thousands" of affected users. It does not give an exact number.

An internal objection

The complaint cites a TikTok product manager on the company's Digital Well Being team who raised concerns in an internal chat. "This feature is about algorithm transparency and control," the manager wrote, according to the filing. "A placebo group completely conflicts with that."

That quote matters because it suggests at least some people inside TikTok saw the problem at the time.

How TikTok responded

A TikTok spokesperson told Reuters that the company regularly tests new products and features "to validate the experience and understand how they work in the real world." TikTok said the allegations mischaracterize how Algo Refresh works. In court, the company has broadly denied New York's claims and says keeping young users safe is a priority.

Testing products on a slice of users is normal across the tech industry. Most apps you use are running A/B tests at any given moment. The harder question New York is raising is whether it is acceptable to quietly hand a broken version of a safety tool to people, some of them minors, who turned it on because they wanted a healthier feed.

A second test is also under scrutiny

The Algo Refresh claim is not the only experiment in the spotlight. In August, Bloomberg reported that TikTok withheld a safety update from about 10% of its US users, roughly 15 million people, as part of a test. Unsealed portions of New York's complaint also describe TikTok randomly selecting users and turning off safety features that limited their exposure to harmful content.

According to Bloomberg, a 16 year old in New York who was in that test group died by suicide in 2022 after being shown self harm and suicide content. Internal reviews reportedly found he had been shown an "onslaught" of it. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have since sent TikTok 13 written questions about that test.

Why this matters beyond New York

TikTok is fighting on many fronts. More than two dozen states have sued the company, alleging the app was designed to addict children and that TikTok misled the public about safety. In September, TikTok settled the first of those cases to reach the trial stage, agreeing to pay Alabama up to $300 million and to change how the platform works for teens in that state.

The New York allegations could raise the pressure on the remaining cases. Claims about addictive design are often argued in broad terms. A claim that a specific safety button was secretly disabled for some users is concrete and easy for a jury, or a lawmaker, to understand.

It also adds to a wider debate about how much control people really have over recommendation feeds. Platforms increasingly offer reset buttons, "not interested" taps and topic filters. These tools only build trust if they work every time, for everyone who uses them. We have seen similar trust questions around how platforms handle data and access, from Reddit ending RSS feeds to the broader point that the open web is shrinking.

Who is affected

Anyone who used Algo Refresh during 2023 could have been in a test group, though there is no public list and TikTok has not confirmed who was included. Parents of teens who relied on the reset to clean up a feed full of harmful content are the most directly affected. So are adults who used it for the same reason.

The allegations have not been proven in court. They are claims in a complaint, and TikTok disputes them.

What you can do now

You do not need to wait for a verdict to take more control of your feed. A few practical steps:

1. Reset, then check. If you use Algo Refresh, watch your feed over the following days. If the same kind of content comes back quickly, that is a sign to use other tools too.
2. Use the filters. TikTok lets you filter keywords and mark videos as not interesting. These add up over time.
3. Set limits for teens. Use built in screen time limits and Family Pairing, and talk with your kids about what they are seeing.
4. Review privacy settings. Our social media privacy checkup walks through the settings worth changing on major apps.
5. Know what the app knows. Our guide to downloading your data from Big Tech shows how to see what a platform has collected about you.

If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text.

What to watch next

Three things stand out. First, how TikTok answers the specific placebo allegation in court, beyond its general statement about product testing. Second, whether other states pick up the Algo Refresh claims in their own cases, since many of them are built on similar theories. Third, whether Congress pushes further after the Blackburn and Blumenthal letter, which could lead to hearings on how platforms test safety features on minors.

The Alabama settlement showed TikTok is willing to pay and change its product to avoid a trial. New York's case now has a sharper set of facts. For ongoing coverage of platforms and the people who use them, see our tech section.

Frequently asked questions

What is TikTok Algo Refresh?

It is a TikTok feature that resets your recommendations so your "For You" feed starts over. It is meant to help people move away from unwanted or harmful content.

What does New York allege?

New York says that in 2023 TikTok gave some users, including teens and children, a version of Algo Refresh that did not work, so their feeds did not change, while testing effects on time in the app and ad revenue.

What does TikTok say?

TikTok says it regularly tests products and features, that the lawsuit mischaracterizes how Algo Refresh works, and that keeping young users safe is a priority. It has denied New York's claims in court.

Was I part of the test?

There is no public list of affected users, and the complaint describes only "thousands" of people. If you rely on the reset, watch your feed afterward and combine it with keyword filters and screen time tools.