Ava Dutro: My Thoughts on the Influence Tiktok has had on Teens and Young Adults

                                                 

    Tiktok; everyone has it, everyone loves, everyone watches it. The real scoop behind this app is whether it's leaving a negative impact on teens or not. If you asked any parent they would probably go on and on about how horrible this app is. Although, maybe not mine. Both of my parents actually have Tiktok and love it. I have had Tiktok for about two years and I love it. It isn't some social media app that kids get addicted to, in reality, it's a community. Tiktok shows you videos that aline with your interests or views and while some would call this an echo chamber I think of it more as a community. The most important thing when it comes to this idea of an echo chamber is knowing when you are in one. I would like to think most teens would realize when they are in an echo chamber though. Sometimes this isn't a bad thing, at least for me it isn't. Tiktok allows me to connect with people who have similar political views, interests, and are my age. Whenever I open the app, I am always met with funny videos, cool recipes, and even current events are going on. Of course, Tiktok is like any other social media and can become problematic, but I really don't think it's such a bad thing. Tiktok can even become a stress reliever, especially during the pandemic. For me whenever I'm stressed, whether that's because of school or drama in my life, I find myself turning to Tiktok. Also, I remember when the pandemic first started Tiktok helped everyone come together and find similar interests. For example, my Tiktok became filled with videos about the tv shows or food people were making to keep them entertained during the lockdown. An article I saw even talked about Tiktok helping college students through their stressful times. In conclusion, my thoughts about Tiktok are that it's an influential community that allows teens to unwind from their otherwise stressful lives.