Among American teenagers, TikTok is the second most-used social media platform. Aside from providing kids with a never-ending supply of fun videos, TikTok also facilitates communication between users and facilitates the discovery of new people and new content. And it provides an opportunity for people to have their own works go viral. However, TikTok is not without its flaws.
Young people who have videos go viral often face bullying, harassment, and ridicule online. There’s also the fear that offensive and violent videos will appear in their feeds. Plus, there are probably some anonymous people out there who are sending some pretty offensive stuff.
Learn about the features and settings TikTok provides to keep you and your children safe before allowing them to use the service, or before you use it yourself. Here are eleven options to help you stay safe on TikTok from creepy profiles, offensive comments, and disturbing content.
See everyone who views your TikTok profileIf you’re over 16 and using TikTok, your videos and profile will be viewable by anyone with a public account. (Anyone who is younger than 16 will have their account set to private by default.)
TikTok’s widespread exposure is a major selling point for the app. It’s a chance to get your work in front of an international audience. On the other hand, you probably don’t want your bully or even a certain relative to be able to see your TikTok account.
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Typical developments and difficulties
Trends and challenges on TikTok are a big deal and are constantly evolving. From dance challenges to memes about the news, any content can be recreated by users. Many of these activities are completely safe and entertaining, but others should be closely monitored.
A child’s physical and mental health can be negatively impacted by the following trends and challenges:
- The silhouette challenge requires participants to produce either still images or moving video that have been filtered to give the impression that the subject is a silhouette. By participating in this challenge, many people are becoming more sexually active. Users should exercise caution when posting photos or videos online that feature filters because those filters can be disabled by other users.
- The blackout challenge has been around since before TikTok and requires participants to deprive themselves of oxygen until they are on the verge of passing out. Multiple youngsters, ages 9 to 12, have recently passed away as a direct result of this difficulty.
- In this no-training-required challenge, one user attempts to crack their friend’s back. Doctors warn that this position puts undue stress on the spine and can cause permanent degeneration.
- The nutmeg challenge: studies have shown that high doses of nutmeg can have an effect on the nervous system, increasing the risk of hallucinations. However, studies have shown that it can also bring on symptoms such as lightheadedness, nausea, drowsiness, dry mouth, confusion, and even seizures.
- As part of a beauty routine, full-face waxing has recently become popular. If the wax gets into the lungs, it could be fatal. Once lodged in the airways, wax is extremely difficult to remove without resorting to invasive surgical procedures.
- The magnet challenge involves participants pretending to have piercings in their ears, noses, and lips by inserting tiny magnetic balls into the holes. In more extreme forms, users ingest the magnetic balls so they can stick magnets directly to their skin, transforming themselves into a “magnetic” being. It has led to serious hospitalisation and removal procedures to get rid of the potentially dangerous magnets.
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