TikTok: Pros & Cons

Mia Lin

TikTok is an app where users can create and share videos of a multitude of things.

Mina Zetoune, Staff Writer

TikTok Pros & Cons

 

Cons: 

 

It can be addictive:

Teens already spend a lot of time on their devices every day, which have been proven to impact their brains. According to realresearcher.com, about 68 percent of teens spend more time on social media than on any other activity, and about 39 percent of teens own over five social media accounts. If teens are already addicted to technology, then with Tik Tok, they end up using more screen time. 

 

Damage teenage minds:

The content on the internet can be harmful to the minds of teenagers. 4.67 billion people use social media daily, and about 1 billion active users monthly on Tik Tok. This means that anyone has the freedom to post anything they want. Therefore, the content on the internet may not always be appropriate to the brains of other users.

 

Can be dangerous:

In many cases, TikTok can be helpful and fun. However, it can also be very dangerous. TikTok can be an opportunity for people to stalk users in their daily life, which can be dangerous considering the amount of information that people share about their lives on the internet. TikTok can also have safety risks like saved user data, and scams. 

 

Prone to cyberbullying:

Posting on TikTok provides the risk of anybody seeing it, and broadcasting their opinions — including negative commentary — which can then lead to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has caused insecurities, low self esteem and even more serious mental health issues — especially for teenagers.

 

Pros:

 

People can teach and learn new skills: 

If it’s learning how to draw, how to ride a skateboard without falling down, or how to paint a tiger, Tik Tok can help users learn from creators. The Tik Tok messaging system can also help users ask questions about how to do what they’re teaching. It can also help people interact and bond about things they like about the experience or video.

 

Increase awareness for new brands:

Tik Tok will often show many ads a lot of the time. These ads can show people about new products that are released in the app which actually promotes new and helpful items. There is also now a Tik Tok store which shows places where you can buy items, as well as an online version of the store.

 

Entertained with content:

In Tik Tok you can find anything you can think of in a video. You can like and share videos that you find interesting or funny to friends and family. You can also like and favorite the videos to show support to your favorite creators. You can also show support to small creators that just started to help their community grow. Leaving a like or a nice comment could brighten up the day of a small creator or a friend who’s posting on Tik Tok, and though there can be and are many negative comments on the platform, Tik Tok is also a place to spread positivity.

 

Worldwide audience: 

When searching for videos, you might find an idea that you like. This might encourage you to start your journey into creating videos and content on Tik Tok. When you upload the videos you can gather a lot of likes, favorites and positive comments. This way, you can upload things to the world, simply with a phone or tablet, and in five seconds upload it for the world to see.