TikTok remains one of the most influential and popular social media apps available today. The app is one of the largest social media platforms in the world. But there is a very dark side! Tik tok is not only happy videos, Tik Tok trends and entertainment. No! There is an extremely dark and negative side to Tik Tok that is often silenced.
But people are starting to wake up more and more when countless children have died on the assembly line in recent years from Tik Tok’s now famous Blackout challenge. It is said according to reliable sources that over 80 children around the world have so far died from the Blackout challenge. But that the media quickly silences true statistical numbers, just like what happened during Corona with false statistics. What is going on is madness and needs to come more into the light. Parents are losing their beloved children for using an app that apparently refuses to take responsibility for underage users. It is even said that Tik Tok is changing the algorithm to trick children into participating in the Blackout challenge at the right time of day. Parents have time and again sued Tik Tok after their child died, but nothing happens.
Here we cover the downside and dangers of underage TikTok exposure and how completely banning Tik Tok for children under 15 should be the only real solution.
THE VICTIMS – just some off them
Here above is one of the most famous cases! Archie Battersbee this beautiful little guy from the UK, so full of life. He ended up in a coma after participating in Tik Tok’s Blackout challenge. His mother fought to the last to move Archie abroad for continued care, hoping he would wake up from the coma. But the judge was ice-cold and ordered Archie to be taken off life support. He was practically suffocated to death, so terribly unnecessary death and lifelong suffering for his family
TIK TOKS POWERFUL ALGORITM
To understand the sudden rise in popularity of TikTok, we must understand how its powerful
algorithm works and how it efficiently retains users and grabs their attention. TikTok’s algorithm
can calculate based on several factors, the kind of content users will like to keep them
entertained and engaged with the app.
This means that TikTok will choose to display whatever content is needed to keep you using the
app. The lack of legislation and enforcement measures to protect young consumers is alarming.
Pushing downright dangerous content into a young audience can have highly damaging effects,
as we have seen with the recent Blackout challenge that took the lives of at least 7 kids.
Additionally, TikTok terms and service and privacy policy regarding its users show it is one of the
most intrusive apps today. Most users think TikTok is just collecting data when they are using
the app, but this could not be further from the truth.
Privacy and user data
While using TikTok, the app collects all sorts of information about yourself, your interests, and
more. The terms of service show how TikTok collects every information it can from its users, and
every user has to agree to these terms of service to use the app.
Would you believe it if I told you that TikTok has access to everything you type on your
phone?
Well, it does, and it is clearly stated on the terms of service that everyone agrees to when they
sign up to use the app!
Here is a part of TikTok’s terms of service that explains how they collect data:
“We collect certain information about the device you use to access the Platform, such as your IP
address, user agent, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purposes,
model of your device, the device system, network type, device IDs, your screen resolution and
operating system, app and file names and types, keystroke patterns or rhythms, battery state,
audio settings, and connected audio devices.”
Why TikTok is a danger to kids
TikTok remains a great danger to kids and individuals that are completely unaware of how the
app works. Moreover, asking a grown-up to accept these terms of service is something, but to
do it to a kid seems illegitimate. Kids cannot understand the terms of service and the invasion of
privacy when you start using TikTok.
On top of that, the Blackout challenge showed us that TikTok is not able to completely control
the type of content that gets shared on its platform, and for that reason, it is a clear risk for kids
under a certain age to have access to dangerous videos.
Finally, we should also discuss how TikTok can have a negative reinforcement influence on
young individuals. Some kids are struggling with mental health, and one of the most common
disorders that are highly publicized on TikTok is eating disorders. Kids struggling with this
condition are shown videos that reinforce it and push them to continue their destructive
behaviors. Once the algorithm notices you like these videos, it will keep showing them to you.
Why ban TikTok for kids under 15
Sure, we can argue that on the surface, kids, in general, have a good time on TikTok, but we
can also make the case for banning TikTok, especially for young kids. As a parent, it is nearly
impossible to control every single video your kid watches or every app that they use. However,
knowing a specific app could damage and hurt your kid during its development phase is enough
to consider uninstalling it.
What can you do yourself?
If you are a parent, the absolute best way is to ban children under 15 from using Tik Tok completely. They are not capable of making the right decisions at that age. Had these children who died from the Blackout challenge not had the app installed, well then they would have continued to play alive and happy. It’s heartbreaking to see all these parents who find their children dead or in a coma from using Tik Tok. Most parents have sued Tik Tok after their child died. But we can’t expect Tik Tok to change anything in the near future. It is a money-grubbing business that has taken the algorithm far too far.
I, who am writing this, have deleted Tik Tok myself and it was one of the nicest things I have done. Getting rid of all the countless tired trends and extreme mass hate in coments to people. It just made me more depressed and not happy. I think we all have to start thinking for ourselves. Do you have to have all the apps that everyone else has? Or are we better off without them and all the negative stimuli it provides? Choose for yourself as adults.
But when it comes to children, they cannot choose for themselves, they do not understand the seriousness. Then the only and best solution is to either remove Tik Tok completely for children under 15. Or as a parent, delete the app from their phone, until they are old enough to understand the seriousness behind using it and the deadly game of Blackout.
