Court documents accidentally revealed in a major lawsuit show that TikTok’s screen-time limit tools fail to reduce usage among teens, despite the company's claims. The documents show TikTok executives admitting that the time management features barely impact teen usage, reducing screen time by just 1.5 minutes on average. The internal analysis reportedly prioritized improving "public trust" over genuinely cutting screen time, with a TikTok project manager stating that the tool's "goal is not to reduce the time spent". Another executive acknowledged the company’s efforts were focused on retaining daily active users. Despite launching features like a screen-time limit and encouraging breaks, TikTok admitted internally that these measures were more useful for PR than actually limiting screen time. TikTok is currently facing lawsuits from 14 state attorneys general, accusing the platform of addicting teens and negatively impacting their mental health. TikTok responded by calling the lawsuit’s claims “misleading” and stated that it remains committed to protecting young users through safety features and privacy measures. The company also noted that suspected underage users are proactively removed.