If you pulled aside anyone from the ages of 13-30 and asked them whether they have heard of the app “Tik Tok”, it’s almost guaranteed that they will either respond with “Yes!”, or they will already have the app downloaded on their phone. This is no coincidence, as Tik Tok is the most downloaded app in the world, with an average of approximately 1.5 billion users in total. The increasing popularity surrounding the app has in fact raised some concern and criticisms, especially towards the safety and national security, as well as age restrictions in terms of content. 

Many people in the United States believe that the app poses a security risk, as the company is owned by a Chinese company called “ByteDance”. Many worry that the app is merely a front for collecting important data and information from American citizens, and that the app is secretly collecting data and distributing it to the Chinese government. This worries many people given China’s history of monitoring, surveillance and censorship. 

In terms of inappropriate content, there have been many instances where there are reports of users on Tik Tok posting inappropriate content, such as: hate speech, and explicit and graphic images. While Tik Tok does have an age limit, many kids simply click an older age to gain access to the app. Tik Tok has made regulations and such to try and prevent certain content from getting to childrens feed, or not allowing them to be on the app at all,  some people believe there is still a long way to go in terms of protecting its users from harmful content. 

Many people also view Tik Tok as a major time waster, seeing as the app is designed to be highly engaging and interactive. There are endless supplies of videos that don’t require much focus to understand, and are extremely short and to the point. The app also has an algorithm which tracks what you like and share so they can show you content that caters to your interests. It is also one of the easiest apps to “go viral” on, and the number of likes and comments received on videos triggers a dopamine release in the brain, leading users to want to keep posting to see how many they get, which means spending more time on the app. 

It is unknown whether there will be any more major steps taken to try and ban/remove the app, but it’s important to remember that even if Tik Tok continues, there are ways to stay safe on the app. Make sure to keep all of your information private, and never share things like your location, school, birthday, or full name with those you interact with on the app. If you see content that is harmful or inappropriate, make sure to report it to keep others safe and try to limit your time scrolling each day to make sure you stay productive.