A Field Experiment on Douyin (TikTok)

Last registered on January 17, 2025

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
A Field Experiment on Douyin (TikTok)
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014999
Initial registration date
January 15, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 17, 2025, 7:08 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Economics Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
University of Warwick
PI Affiliation
Guanghua School of Management, Peking University
PI Affiliation
Guanghua School of Management, Peking University

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-12-08
End date
2025-02-02
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the effect of Douyin and its algorithms on users’ subjective well-being, cognitive skills, and opinion polarization. We expect to carry out a randomized experiment among general Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) users in China. Participants in the two treatment groups will be asked to either log out of their Douyin accounts (so that the algorithm stops working) or refrain from using Douyin completely. Outcomes are measured through online surveys, direct observation of Douyin accounts, and the screen time records of their smartphones.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Gao, Qianyun (Carole) et al. 2025. "A Field Experiment on Douyin (TikTok)." AEA RCT Registry. January 17. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14999-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
"No Personalization" group participants: log out of their Douyin accounts (so that the algorithm stops working);
"No Usage" group participants: refrain from using Douyin completely.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2024-12-09
Intervention End Date
2025-01-05

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Douyin usage during and after treatment, subjective well-being, efficiency, cognitive skills, issue polarization
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Questions on cognitive skills consist of the stroop test and Raven's progressive matrices. Issue polarization include questions measuring participants' attitude towards several social and economic issues.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Use of time on offline activities online activities, attitude towards algorithm
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We aim to recruit 750 participants, randomly assign them to three groups, and monitor their Douyin account active status. The treatment lasts for four weeks. During the treatment, participants need to upload their weekly app usage every week. After the treatment ends, we will continue to collect participants' usage.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
750 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
750 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 participants control, 250 participants "No Personalization" treatment, 250 participants "No Usage" treatment.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Institutional Review Board, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University
IRB Approval Date
2021-10-11
IRB Approval Number
2021-30
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

pre-analysis plan

MD5: 1abdf2cdf0ae9023f74670439d8f39b8

SHA1: 6e9a66d430af86edcf14c8b0711241a02b1fe05b

Uploaded At: January 15, 2025

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials