TikTok is experimenting with a new advertising tool called “Engaged Session,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like: tracking what happens when users actually stick around after clicking an ad.

While TikTok navigates various legal challenges and public scrutiny around data practices, they’re quietly testing new ways to follow users beyond their app. It’s either remarkably confident product development or a masterclass in “let’s see what happens if we poke the bear.”

Here’s how it works: TikTok’s new tool targets users who spend at least 10 seconds on a website after clicking an ad. Ten seconds—that’s barely enough time to read a product title, let alone make a purchasing decision. However, in the attention economy, 10 seconds is a goldmine.

TikTok claims it doesn’t use tracking pixels, but that’s semantic gymnastics. They’re still monitoring where you go and what you do after leaving their platform, framing this as helping advertisers find “high-intent users.” It’s a fair point though. If someone clicks through and then spends time browsing your products, they’re probably more valuable than someone who accidentally tapped your ad while trying to skip to the next video.

This development sits in the context of a much larger shift happening across social platforms. Traditional web tracking is becoming more difficult due to privacy regulations and browser changes, so platforms are getting creative about how they measure and target user behavior.

Whether “Engaged Session” ever launches publicly remains to be seen. But the fact that TikTok is testing it tells us something important about where they see themselves heading; not just as a place to watch videos, but as a starting point for customer journeys that extend far beyond their app.

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