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Study Finds Social Media Algorithms Boosted AfD and Linke in Youth Feeds During 2025 Campaign

Researchers say opaque recommendation systems shaped what young voters saw, prompting fresh calls for transparency.

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Das TikTok-Logo ist auf dem Display eines Smartphones zu sehen.
Das Foto des Tiktok-Accounts von Alice Weidel auf einem Smartphone
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Overview

  • University of Potsdam and Bertelsmann Stiftung tested 268 profiles of 21–25-year-olds on TikTok, Instagram, X and YouTube during Jan. 22–Feb. 23, 2025 to measure automatically shown party content.
  • AfD accounted for 21.5% of party videos but 37.4% of exposures, while Die Linke posted 9.7% yet reached 27.6%, as SPD fell from 24.1% of posts to 14.1% of views and CDU/CSU from 17.1% to 4.9%.
  • On TikTok, AfD-tagged clips appeared fastest at roughly 11–12 minutes after a new profile was created, compared with about 70 minutes for SPD content and nearly 80 minutes for Linke posts.
  • BSW gained visibility relative to output (3.1% of posts to 8.3% shown) as FDP saw the steepest loss (7.6% of posts to 1.4% shown).
  • Engagement counts did not fully explain the gaps, platforms have not offered a public technical rationale, and the findings coincide with TikTok’s rise as a key political channel with AfD and Linke MPs especially active.