On Oct. 7, 2026, a judge ordered portions of an updated complaint in New York Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuit against TikTok unsealed. The complaint alleges that TikTok repeatedly tested placebo versions of its Algo Refresh feature with thousands of users, including children and teenagers, during 2023. The tests are allegations in an ongoing case.
What New York’s lawsuit alleges about Algo Refresh
The complaint describes repeated tests in which users allegedly believed they had activated Algo Refresh. The feature was designed to reset video recommendations for people seeking to avoid unwanted or potentially harmful content.
What the placebo group allegedly saw
According to the complaint, recommendations did not change for users in the placebo group, while feeds changed for users who received the working feature. In other words, the alleged difference was whether the reset affected a user’s recommendations—not whether they thought they had turned it on.
Who was included and what the tests allegedly measured
The complaint alleges that thousands of people took part in the 2023 tests, including children and teenagers. It says the tests measured time spent on TikTok and the impact on advertising.
TikTok’s response and the case’s status
TikTok says it routinely tests products and features to understand how they work in real-world use, and disputes the lawsuit’s characterization of Algo Refresh. The company has broadly denied New York’s allegations in court filings. Letitia James brought the lawsuit in 2024; the placebo-test claims remain allegations in that ongoing case.
