Clock ticks for TikTok as app institutes time limits
In response to concerns about the amount of time young people spend on TikTok, the company instituted a time limit, but teens can easily bypass it.
April 5, 2023
The app TikTok is one of the biggest social media platforms, with 649 million users growing each day.
The age group primarily on TikTok is 10-19, which is starting to concern parents.
Many lawsuits have been quickly forming about the consequences it has made on the mental health of children and the habit that influences the younger generation in a damaging way.
Psychology teacher Jackie Grealish said, “Social media can be a really great tool to stay connected to your friends and family but we really haven’t been using it that way.”
She added, “It shows young brains an unrealistic picture of others’ lives that make it hard to tell what is real and what is a filter when we’re inundated with content 24/7.”
“It shows young brains an unrealistic picture of others’ lives that make it hard to tell what is real and what is a filter when we’re inundated with content 24/7.”
— Jackie Grealish, Psychology teacher
TikTok has formulated a solution in which users will have a 60 minute screen time for those under the age of 18, but will provide the option of opting out to proceed.
One option is for parents who link their TikTok accounts to their children is to have control over certain aspects of how their kid uses the app and how frequently it can be opened.
Certain people have since spoken out with this new policy. The Tech Oversight Project, a Big Tech accountability group, was not impressed by TikTok’s announcement, calling it “a fake ploy to make parents feel safe without actually making their product safe.”
Many entertainment groups such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have their platform to get kids addicted to scrolling for hours on end.
Sophia Trapsi ’24 said, “It’s good for entertainment purposes but it is addicting for the younger generation.” “Being a 16 year old, it can be easy to get distracted scrolling on the app because there is so much to see with a full mind of curiosity.
Many can relate to how the parents feel about this app because it is not healthy for kids to be on TikTok for so long, which can lead to certain effects. This can influence children’s behavior with the way they act and form opinions of themselves and others.
There is much criticism about this new announcement due to the fact that the app is really not limiting the time for the kids.
Not too many have been happy about this change because they question whether this will truly change anything at all.
