Experts warn that the type of content they view can influence behaviour, mental health, and sleep.

Data from The Marketing Heaven shows TikTok is a huge part of teen life in the U.S. and globally. New trends, such as #Pingtok, chroming challenges, and “Pink Tote Lid” confession videos, have increased exposure to risky or emotionally intense content.

“This isn’t passive media consumption,” says Brian Futral, head of Content Marketing at The Marketing Heaven. “It’s immersive, algorithm-driven exposure. When teens are spending nearly two hours a day inside one recommendation engine, the nature of that content matters more than ever.”

#Pingtok and Chroming Challenges

In early 2026, #Pingtok gained attention as teenagers created stylised videos showing drug use.

Futral explains, “When risky behavior is framed in soft lighting and trending audio, it stops looking dangerous. It starts looking aspirational. Algorithms do not distinguish between healthy engagement and harmful engagement. They amplify what keeps people watching.”

Resurfacing chroming challenges involve inhaling toxic fumes, sometimes with fatal consequences. Meanwhile, “Pink Tote Lid” videos feature teens sharing personal challenges.

Some see these as community-building. Others argue they turn private experiences into public performance.

Futral adds, “TikTok has become both a stage and a therapist for some teens. The line between connection and exposure is blurring. When validation is measured in views and comments, vulnerability can turn into performance. When you’re on the app for 50-plus hours a month, trends shape identity. That is especially powerful during adolescence.”

Regulatory and Legal Attention

In 2026, TikTok, Meta, and YouTube are being sued in the U.S. and Europe for features like infinite scroll and autoplay, which encourage addictive behaviour. The European Commission cited these features under the Digital Services Act.

TikTok now sets a default 60-minute daily limit on screen time for users under 18, though it can be bypassed. Futral notes, “The fact that platforms are pre-setting limits tells you the industry recognises a problem. We’ve moved from debating whether there’s an issue to debating how big it is.”

Advice for Parents and Brands

Parents should focus on content teens see, not just screen time spent on TikTok. “You can’t just ask how long your teen is on TikTok. You have to ask what TikTok is feeding them,” says Futral.

Brands and creators are under pressure too. “If brands contribute to harmful or exploitative trends, they will face backlash. Sustainable growth in 2026 means understanding digital well-being as part of strategy, not a PR afterthought,” Futral adds.

A 2025 CDC/NIH study found U.S. teens with higher non-school screen time were more likely to report sleep problems, anxiety, and lower physical activity.

The WHO reported that problematic social media use among adolescents rose from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. Advocacy groups say TikTok has not done enough to address these risks.

The company says the feature works in the background, scanning account-level and behavioural signals to judge whether an account is likely run by someone under 18. 

When that threshold is crossed, content limits are switched on automatically. The idea, OpenAI argues, is to give teens a safer version of the product without forcing every user through upfront identity checks.

This is a response to  complaints the company has received over how its tools affect children. OpenAI has been warned by regulators over past incidents involving young users, and this rollout reveals a transition from reactive fixes to a more systemic safeguard.

According to OpenAI, the age prediction system looks at factors such as how long an account has existed, typical usage times, long-term patterns, and the age a user claims when signing up. 

No single signal decides the result. Instead, they are weighed together to reach a probability-based judgement.

When an account is flagged as under 18, ChatGPT applies restrictions around sensitive areas. These include graphic violence, depictions of self-harm, sexual or violent role play, risky online challenges, and content that promotes extreme body ideals or unhealthy dieting. If the system is unsure about someone’s age, it defaults to the safer setting.

OpenAI said in its announcement: “We’re rolling out age prediction on ChatGPT consumer plans to help determine whether an account likely belongs to someone under 18, so the right experience and safeguards can be applied to teens.”

Adults who are wrongly placed into the under-18 experience are not locked out permanently. They can verify their age through Persona, a third-party identity service, by submitting a live selfie and, in some regions, a government-issued ID. OpenAI maintains that it does not receive copies of these documents, only confirmation of age.

The company is also leaning on parental controls, allowing guardians to set usage limits, restrict features such as memory, and receive alerts if signs of serious distress appear. These tools, OpenAI says, are optional but designed to give families more oversight.

The rollout is already live in many regions, with Europe scheduled to follow in the coming weeks due to regulatory requirements. OpenAI says it will monitor how the system performs and adjust it over time, refining which signals are most important and closing gaps where users try to bypass safeguards.