TikTok is currently fighting an existential battle in the U.S. Supreme Court, and so far, it appears that the company’s arguments might not be enough to avoid a ban in the country. The arguments have mostly focused on concerns around national security and free speech, but there is another aspect that could hurt the social media giant.
According to fresh research from the University of California San Francisco, a majority of children are using TikTok against the platform’s age-related policies. It further adds that 11- and 12-year-olds also show signs of addiction, and some hide social profiles from their parents.
The study, which sourced data from 10,000 children across the country in the age group of 10-15 years, focused on the usage of TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, among other platforms.
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Jason Nagata (MD), a pediatrician at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, noted that TikTok is the most popular social app among children (67.1%), highlighting its harm potential.
A quarter of the children who participated in the study said they often thought about social media platforms, and an equal number also mentioned that these apps help them forget about their problems.
Notably, 17% of the children reported that they wanted to cut down on social media usage, but they simply couldn’t pull it off, while a healthy 11% labeled it as detrimental to their academic activities.
The research, which has been published in the Academic Pediatrics journal, also underlines how social media usage among underage children, some as young as 11 years old, is linked to elevated depression, disruptive behavior, and eating disorders. The findings are not surprising.
The likes of Instagram have received flak for aggravating body image issues among young users. Digital Trend’s investigation also unearthed a dark underbelly of drugs on the Meta-owned platform. Amnesty International’s research recently uncovered how TikTok was serving harmful mental health content to children.
“Policymakers need to look at TikTok as a systemic social media issue and create effective measures that protect children online,” Nagata, who is also the lead author of the study, was quoted as saying.
The research paper suggests policymakers should also focus on how platforms like TikTok are harming children. Moreover, the experts recommend stronger age verification on social media platforms, more robust parental control tools, and tighter privacy protocols.