Washington Post reporters analyzed data from over 800 TikTok users to learn how the app turns people into power users, some of whom spend hours per day scrolling.

TikTok uses an algorithm that we may know little about, but we do know that its effects on users are often negative.

Here’s how it works: When you pause on a video while scrolling the For You page, TikTok will automatically recognize items on screen, whether it’s a shirt, a product from the TikTok Shop, or just a ...