TikTok, the social conglomerate app of the year that was almost banned by our former president, has spiked in usage since this quarantine started back in late March. Of course this is to be expected due to the stay at home order issued by Governor Newsom and President Trump. Since people are stuck at home with nothing to do they turn to their social media platforms i.e. TikTok. This is especially prevalent in the kids who use TikTok. The app has been influencing young users since it came out but I wanted to see how prevalent it was. To do this I turned to some of the California high school students who had a TikTok.
I asked them why they liked TikTok, if they thought it was harmful or beneficial to young users, and if they think the app was influencing these users in their day to day life.
Ruben Chavarria:
“I like using TikTok because it is a form of appealing entertainment with relatable content.”
” TikTok is an outlet for many users to express themselves and share ideas with others. It can allow for the of new hobbies and interaction with different groups that one may not have otherwise discovered. When used in moderation it is ultimately a positive platform for young users.”
and finally “I do believe that users are encapsulated by the idea of fame and popularity, that can be brought about by TikTok. The app’s programmed nature is to actively keep user addicted, In my opinion while there are positives to the platform, I believe TikTok should definitely be used in moderation, in order to mitigate its inherent addictiveness.”
Anonymous:
“It’s normally a good place to find things to laugh at, especially if you’re impatient and don’t want to wait a long time since the videos are short.”
“As long as they don’t get anything that might give them a possibly harmful idea or seems inappropriate then they should be fine.”
“Some of them want to become like the older role models on the app, whether good or bad.”
Evelyn Gomez
“I like using TikTok because of the quality content which is recommended by your likes or by what you might like.”
“I would probably say more beneficial because it allows you to learn and discover new things. You can also express yourself and do what you love.”
“I do think that the app is influencing young users in day to day life because of the big impact it created. It cause many people to use it daily and it has become part of their lives. Especially at a time like this when they are at home with less activities to do.”
As you can see some of the people who do own TikTok think that it is influencing the younger users but it must be taken in moderation or it will have negative side effects. We can see the negative side effects with increase in depression, headaches, decreased attention, shortness of temper, sleep disorder, and many many more things. So in conclusion TikTok in moderate use is beneficial because it lets people experience new ideas, cultures, and forms of entertainment, but if overused just like with phones or apps of any kind, it can lead to mental and health problems.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TikTok_splash_screen.jpg (Solen Feyissa,August 1,2020)
https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tiktokstatistics//#:~:text=Sensor%20Tower%20stats%20reveals%20TikTok,was%20downloaded%20219%20million%20times. (Mansoor Iqbal, 30 October 2020
