TikTok quietly rolled out a brand new feed for all customers, but it surely’s a bit of exhausting to seek out

Have you ever been endlessly scrolling TikTok these days? Properly, when you’ve got, don’t be concerned you are not alone. The app, which has tens of millions of customers all over the world, is understood to be a pretty good time sink. However now, TikTok is trying to reinvent the wheel a bit, by giving all customers entry to a feed that makes countless scrolling educational. Intrigued?

Just lately, TikTok introduced that it is bringing its STEM feed to all customers in america, United Kingdom, and Eire by default. Previous to this announcement, the STEM feed was solely turned on by default for customers underneath the age of 18. The feed was opened to all users in Canada earlier this month.

What’s the STEM feed?

Open your cellphone and be taught one thing new

TikTok / Pocket-lint

TikTok’s STEM feed is supposed to be a spot to seek out instructional movies associated to science, know-how, engineering, and arithmetic. Primarily, it is a spot you go to be taught one thing whereas being on TikTok somewhat than simply being entertained by cats or individuals doing dumb issues.

After scrolling by way of the STEM feed for a couple of minutes, a few of the movies in it are literally fairly good. The primary video I watched was somebody explaining how a cruise ship floats, and the opposite video was about an extinct species I did not even find out about. I can see how this part on TikTok may really be a pressure for good on the platform.

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Why is TikTok opening up the STEM feed to all customers?

It might have one thing to do with the criticism the app has confronted

TikTok launched the STEM feed part again in early 2023, after going through criticism from lawmakers, rights teams, and some in the press that argue TikTok is dangerous to younger individuals, and is designed in a technique to be addictive, so it might preserve customers engaged for so long as potential.

It is not simply issues about habit both, TikTok has additionally been criticized for its potential impression on its person’s psychological well being, as outlined in a report by the Guardian final 12 months.

TikTok could also be trying to the STEM feed as a technique to promote the constructive impression the app can have. In U.S. congressional hearings final 12 months, TikTok CEO Shou Chew said he believes the STEM feed is “inspiring a brand new era to find a ardour for math and science.” He additionally expressed on the time that the feed already had over 116 billion views on the time.

By making the STEM feed out there to all customers by default, no matter age, TikTok is signifying a shift during which it appears to be like to market itself as a spot for studying, and never simply endlessly scrolling memes to your coronary heart’s content material.

The STEM feed is offered now on TikTok, and you could find it by scrolling to the left, previous the Discover feed. If you happen to want to flip the feed off, it may be executed so underneath the app’s settings underneath content material preferences.

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