Since March 2020, the number of people with tic syndrome in the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Australia increased from 1 – 2% to 20 – 35%. A rise in teen girls developing “tic-like” behaviours could be linked to TikTok, along with an increase in anxiety and depression, resulting in symptoms similar to Tourette’s syndrome, doctors say.
Clearly, we both see how TikTok cause addiction today. Because of this, many parents have used CyberPurify Egg to manage kids screen time online more effectively, helping them maintain a healthy online habit.
So, “Is my kid addicted to TikTok? Why is TikTok so addictive for children?”, this article will help you answer this.
Is my kid addicted to TikTok? Signs of kids addicted to TikTok
Some signs that a child may be addicted to TikTok include:
- Spending a lot of time on the app: Children who are addicted to TikTok may spend a significant amount of their free time using the app.
- Neglecting other responsibilities: If a child is addicted to TikTok, they may neglect homework, chores, or other responsibilities in order to use the app.
- Difficulty stopping: Children who are addicted to TikTok may have trouble stopping or limiting their use of the app, even when asked to do so.
- Feeling anxious or irritable when not using the app: Children who are addicted to TikTok may feel anxious or irritable when they are not able to use the app.
- Difficulty sleeping: Children who are addicted to TikTok may have trouble sleeping because they spend a lot of time on the app before going to bed
It’s important to note that these signs alone may not indicate addiction, but if several of these signs are present, it may be worth having a conversation with your child about their TikTok addiction.
Why TikTok is so addictive?
There are several reasons why children may be drawn to TikTok and become addicted to using the app. Some of the possible reasons include:
- Social connection: TikTok allows users to connect with others through shared interests and activities, which can be particularly appealing to children who may be seeking social connection and validation.
- Entertainment value: TikTok features a wide range of short-form videos, including music, comedy, and dance, that can be entertaining and engaging for children.
- Personalization: The app allows users to customize their profiles and choose the types of content they see, which can make it feel more personalized and relevant to individual users.
- Rewards: TikTok features a reward system in which users can receive “hearts” and other forms of recognition for their content, which can be motivating for some users.
- FOMO: Children may feel pressure to use TikTok in order to keep up with their peers and not miss out on popular trends and content.
15 seconds long and its psychological impact on your child
In a 2016 study by Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, currently, the average human attention span is 8 seconds, shorter than it was before.
According to Philipp Lorenz-Spreen of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the explosion of content “depletes” people’s attention span, constantly pushing them to search for new content and information. That’s why people have to switch between topics, and videos more often.
The harmful effects of TikTok for children
What is bad about TikTok?
The answer is inappropriate content.
It seems that TikTok is for everyone because almost every age group uses TikTok. Because of the large and diverse user base, your child may come across adults swearing, bragging, and dancing provocatively. In addition, many users also report seeing nudity on TikTok, which no parent wants their child to see.
Besides inappropriate pornography, TikTok also has hashtags that have been linked to dangerous behaviors such as self-harm like cutting hands.
TikTok has a feature that allows users to filter, report spam, offensive comments and specific keywords, and block accounts, but, the filter is not always 100% accurate.
TikTok makes many kids want to be praised and famous through likes, comments and followers. When the desire to be famous is so strong, children will find ways to attract followers, so it is not uncommon for many children to take risks to engage in risky and sexually suggestive behaviors.
Why is TikTok bad? – the extremely high risk of TikTok addiction
Like every other social networking platform, TikTok develops complex algorithms to get users’ attention and get them to spend as much time on the app as possible. Some kids watch TikTok non-stop, while others record videos of their entire day on TikTok.
Do they post all day just because they’re bored or because they want likes and attention from their followers? Whatever the reason, posting too often makes your kids waste time that should be spent on other, more rewarding things.
Regular use of TikTok, as a viewer or content creator, will increase your child’s digital footprint. In essence, this poses serious TikTok security risks as your kids are vulnerable to scams and stalked by bad guys (especially sexual attackers).
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the senior Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said at a hearing Tuesday:
“TikTok threatens the safety, mental health and well-being of our kids.”
So, how do I keep my child safe on TikTok?
You can’t let your child freely watch and post on TikTok, but you also can’t ban your child from watching/using TikTok, you will limit your child’s connection with friends, access to interesting content, or prohibit your child’s creativity.
The line between protecting a child and restraining a child is extremely blurred. After understanding why TikTok is addictive, it’s time to learn how do I keep my child safe on TikTok. Accept that any social network has its good and bad sides. What needs to be done is to approach the good side and limit the bad ones. Here are some tips for parents:
- Familiarize yourself with social media: Don’t be passive, actively update and learn the platforms that are popular with young people. You can know deeply what harms them.
- Continuously talk to your child about what is and isn’t right for him on social media and the Internet. Remind them to let you know when they see something that concerns them online.
- Use a content filter to set a screen time limit for kids: If you have ever been:
- Anxious when letting children go online, afraid they will be exposed to toxic content?
- Exhausted when you have to count their screen time and constantly remind them to turn off the device?
- Weary when they keep begging for “5 more mins” but it always lasts more than 30 mins?
We need to end this! With CyberPurify Egg, when it’s studying time, all access to games, social media, and movies will be automatically blocked on every device your child uses.
Stay truly peace of mind when your kids are less distracted, less dependent on devices. Also, they are 24/7 protected from all harmful sites, minimizing the risk of porn addiction and dangerous behaviors.
Be one of the first parents to own a CyberPurify Egg!
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