>> The algorithm used in the US was apparently banned in China for being too addictive.

> Source?

The same source as everything Covid related: Trust me, bro.

> Trust me, bro.

Are you referring to the completely scientifically-untrained "bros" who were touting ivermectin and other treatments or cures with little to no scientific evidence of efficacy?

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/ivermectin-an....

No ones impressed by your ignorance bro. Get help.

TikTok itself is banned in mainland china. Do you need much more of a source?

Yes, you could say Douyin is available in place of TikTok, but have you asked yourself why they have 2 separate apps? One for mainland China, and another for everyone else?

Another source (see the section "How is Douyin different from TikTok?"): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/business/china-tiktok-dou...

So is Wikipedia. Otherwise Chinese people just cannot stop reading all those wiki pages about that fungi that only grow on a certain volcano in French New Guinea. How addictive!

Isn't this comment quite reductive?

There are many reasons why there are two separate apps and not necessarily related to how addictive the algorithm is. The "source" you linked gives one such reason:

> Like other social media services in China, Douyin follows the censorship rules of the Chinese Communist Party. It conscientiously removes video pertaining to topics deemed sensitive or inflammatory by the party, although it has proved a little harder than text-based social media to control.

Also have you used Douyin? It's really feels like basically the same thing.