Two U.S. senators have issued TikTok a stark deadline to explain an experiment that left safety features disabled for millions of users, including a teenager who tragically took his own life.

Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal accused the platform of conducting what they termed a “depraved” study, which intentionally withheld crucial safety tools from 15 million U.S. users to gauge engagement impacts.

The experiment’s control group included Chase Nasca, a 16-year-old who was exposed to overwhelming content about sadness and suicide before taking his own life. The senators are now demanding answers on the identities of those who knew about the study and why minors were involved in such potentially harmful research.

TikTok's decision to run this experiment has sparked outrage, with senators seeking comprehensive details including a list of every U.S. algorithmic experiment where safety features were disabled or delayed. TikTok faces a September 1 deadline to respond to 13 specific questions from the lawmakers.

The tech giant did not immediately comment on these allegations, leaving many questioning the balance between innovation and user welfare in today's digital age.