Parents, BEWARE! TikTok promotes suicide and eating disorder in teens, reveals new study
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
TikTok may expose potentially harmful content related to suicide and eating disorders to teenagers within minutes of creating an account, prompting scrutiny of its impact on teenagers, according to a recent study.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that it can take less than three minutes to find content related to suicide and five minutes to find a community promoting eating disorder on TikTok.
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TikTok's detrimental effects on children
TikTok and other social networking apps may also be used by some children to seek approval or praise, which can damage their self-esteem and/or make them feel lonely. Spending too much time online and too much time on TikTok might have a negative impact on a child's mental health, Children's health reported.
TikTok poses risks to users' privacy, such as exposure to objectionable content including suicidal challenges, interfering with other activities, and sharing personal information that can result in theft or kidnapping.
'Every parent's nightmare'
The Center for Disease Control and Human Rights (CDCH) released a report on TikTok, which found that the app recommended videos about body image and mental health about every 39 seconds within a 30-minute period.
TikTok suggested hazardous content, such as eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide, to vulnerable teen accounts. The outcomes were "every parent's nightmare," according to Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, reported GMA.
TikTok has implemented safeguards to filter out mature or potentially problematic videos but more needs to be done to restrict specific content and bolster protections for young users. This report highlights the urgent need for reform of online spaces.