• by Colin Kirkland , October 23, 2024

To further capitalize on the popularity of educational content posted to the app, TikTok is expanding its in-app feed dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to both teen and adult users across the U.S., U.K., and Ireland.

Previously only turned on by default for users under the age of 18, TikTok's STEM feed was first launched in March 2023 as an expansion of the platform's topic feeds, which allow users to explore content across specific categories such as gaming, food, fashion, and sports.

At the time of its original launch, TikTok said that STEM-related hashtags had received over 110 billion views, adding that a dedicated feed could encourage “aspiring scientists to work out experiments in comments sections,” or help “a new programmer learn to code.”

Facing a potential ban in the US, TikTok CEO Shou Chew has brought up the STEM feed in two separate US congressional hearings to argue that the platform promotes free educational resources and community among its billion-plus users, despite ongoing concerns that TikTok's overall design is addictive and harmful, especially for younger users.

On Earth Day this year, TikTok even announced a STEM content competition designed to give parents and students the chance to showcase their knowledge of STEM-related topics.

In addition, this spring, TikTok began testing hour-long video uploads not only to compete with long-form video platforms like YouTube, but to boost ad revenue while ushering in videos based around educational content, such as lesson plans, and various tutorials and demos.

TikTok says that the app has seen an 18% increase in STEM-related content since the feed's launch, adding that videos in the feed have now reached 200 million views.

Due to this increase in popularity around STEM content, the company says it has future plans to expand local language support for the feed.