The Trouble with TikTok

Why this Viral App Isn’t as Harmless as You Think

I’m sure by now we’ve all heard of TikTok, the extremely popular social media app that allows users to create short lip-sync, dance and comedy videos. It ranked as the top most downloaded app in the App Store for 2019, with 1.5 billion downloads. But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean it should be.

When I think of TikTok, I picture super pretty girls who dance without moving their feet, and people who miss Vine using it to make funny videos. Most people think TikTok is pretty harmless, but it has rubbed me the wrong way from the minute I heard about it. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. Here are all the reasons why TikTok is nothing but trouble:

1. TikTok makes innapropriate content accessible to kids

While lip-sync and dancing videos are pretty innocent, let’s not ignore how provocative and suggestive many TikTok videos are. Children as young as eight years old are using this app and according to Hannah Rihm, India even banned the app because it “encourages pornography.” Obviously I’m not saying that girls shouldn’t dress and dance how they want, I’m just saying that TikTok normalizes the oversexualization of minors and well, I have a problem with that.

On top of that, according to Business Insider, TikTok also had to pay a $5.7 million dollar fine to the Federal Trade Commission because it illegally collected personal information from children under the age of 13 without parental consent. And, I’m pretty sure we all have a problem with that.

2. TikTok tried to filter out videos from ugly, poor or disabled users

In case you don’t know how the For You page works, it’s basically like an explore page where the app moderators filter through content they think users will enjoy based on algorithms and app activity. What a recent Guardian article has revealed is that moderators have actually been instructed to exclude videos of anyone with “an abnormal body shape,” those who are “chubby...obese or too thin” or who have "ugly facial looks or facial deformities.” They even filter videos based on if “the shooting environment is shabby and dilapidated,” since “this kind of environment is … less fancy and appealing.” Basically, TikTok is just further reinforcing body ideals and ensuring that only those who appear rich are featured and can become popular. A bit twisted, don’t you think?

3. TikTok is moderated by the oppressive Chinese government, promotes censorship and scares the military

In case you didn’t know, TikTok was actually started by a Chinese company that evolved through many different versions until it became the americanized version we all know. Now, in no way do I want to circulate discriminatory ideas about Chinese people or those of Chinese descent, but no one can ignore that the Chinese government has some questionable ideas about human rights and freedoms.

Because TikTok is a Chinese company, moderators are required to enforce Chinese foreign

policy overseas. They are instructed to take down any controversial content about independence or the “uglification of history” specifically the events that occurred at Tiananmen Square. This is extremely problematic as it erases the right to freedom of speech and further silences those who are trying to voice their concerns about contemporary and historical injustices.

All this to say that the U.S Army and Navy even have banned employees from having TikTok on government phones because they suspect that their information is being used by unknown parties. I’m not totally down with the Chinese government right now, so I don’t really like the idea of supporting an app that reinforces their backwards policies. Do you?

Check out The Guardian’s investigation.

4. TikTok has created a new wave of teen celebrities

As we have seen time and time again, being famous in your formative years does not end well. Child and teen stars are put under immense pressure and often end up with severe mental health issues or with criminal records. Don’t think that’s true? Remember the DisneyChannel kids? Not many of them are living well-rounded lives at the moment, are they?

With TikTok’s most prominent audience group starting at 16 years old, teenagers like Loren Gray and Charli Damelio are becoming super famous in the blink of an eye. Obviously we can’t yet say how this will affect them in the long run, but I think it’s safe to say that dancing in front of millions of strangers and having them comment on your physical appearance a hundred times a day probably isn’t what teenagers need.

5. People are wasting away on TikTok.

Unlike most platforms that have comment sections to distract you or formatting that lets you breathe, TikTok is designed for you to waste time. As soon as you open TikTok, a reel of videos starts playing. From there, it’s just a never-ending loop of content. It really goes on and on and on. The average user spends almost an hour on TikTok everyday.

We all get stuck scrolling sometimes, but with TikTok it’s integral to the experience. There’s nothing you can do but scroll. With social media becoming more and more of an issue, we understand now that spending hours on end staring at our phones is bad for both our mental and physical health. So who needs another app that isn’t good for us?

Popular apps come and go, but TikTok seems to be changing the game. And I don’t like it. I think that there are a lot of things to be wary of with TikTok, both in terms of how we are using it and how and by whom it has been created.