aside from users "stuck in the dopamine loop", i also think tiktok will see users plateau and eventually shrink without relevant content, even if it's a tough watch. If "joy of tiktok" becomes code for "news that does not upset dear leader" folks will go somewhere else for that content, and imho that's a meaningful chunk of users.
Something similar happened to me too - an automated squatter took control of my account when I changed email addresses, started posting TOS violating images and got banned. There’s zero support unless you ask someone to abuse their access to help.