This work presents concerns about TikTok from a bioethical viewpoint, focusing on its effects on social health and democracy. Human engagement with social media and its sway over users is concerning. It already appears to narrow user identities, fuel outgroup animosity, and exacerbate societal polarization. We call attention to the risks posed by TikTok’s connection to an authoritarian government that may have an incentive to demoralize and confuse. Inorganic trends could distort a country’s national image, shaping attitudes with tailored representations. TikTok’s content creators have the incentive to please the algorithm. While its primarily lighthearted digital culture remains harmless for many individual users, TikTok’s ubiquity makes the broader societal risks worth analysis. Cyberspaces should be designed to foster social relations and add vibrancy to admirable cultural features, not to create false perceptions. We discuss remedies against malicious and deceptive cyber influence and societal polarization. This work attempts to include broad bioethical considerations to inform ongoing discussions on tech diplomacy. As a discipline devoted to bringing insights and new perspectives to inform public deliberation, bioethics should address social media and its influence on sense-making and the health of democratic societies.