AI recommendation systems like TikTok can be great tools, if you have control over your own thinking. Control over one’s thoughts—metacognition, or thinking ab

AI recommendation systems like TikTok can be great tools, if you have control over your own thinking. Control over one’s thoughts—metacognition, or thinking about your thinking—is an essential tool for advancing your life. It’s a huge focus of the formal education system, why teachers insist on “showing your work” and not just writing the answer down by itself. Understanding science is not just knowing that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but understanding the system of thinking that led scientists to that conclusion. It’s also a huge focus of therapy, getting patients to recognize their own patterns of thinking so that they can decide whether or not to change them. Even corporate “EQ” training starts with getting people to recognize when they are feeling strong emotions and then think about why. Does TikTok by itself teach these skills? To me the answer seems obviously “no.” One can bring an analytical mind to TikTok, but does TikTok encourage analytical thinking? I don’t see how. It seems to me it is built to deliver an experience that is the exact opposite of analytical thinking. And this is why we worry about the kids on TikTok. Metacognition is one of the later patterns of thought to develop, and therefore something most kids struggle with in general.