Help me understand this. 

What is this obsession with TikTok?

Allow me to elaborate. When Musical.ly caught the internet by storm in 2014, it was cool. It was different. People could lip synch to their favorite songs and share it with their friends. I had some respect for this new social media platform. But then like any other social media app entails, parents became aware of the dangers the app had exposed young children towards. 

Unwanted messages, stalkers, and scams. 

The whole package.

After a while, the entire “scandal” blew over and in my opinion, things laid low for a while. Soon Musical.ly announced that they were changing the name to TikTok and were partnering with another company. And so, yet again, the app made it’s rise.

Along with the original features of the app, we were presented with trendy fads and catchphrases. 

Oh, so many catchphrases.

Aside from the sarcasm though, the app is truly just a means for some fun. Friends can be made and kept in touch with, one can have a good laugh, and it can be enjoyable. If you decide to ignore the very obvious elephant in the room.

That people can get hurt and many actually do.

It irks me that people everywhere are still forgetting the risks associated with this app. I understand that every app poses its own risks but countless times, we’ve been able to see this specific app’s true colors and a lot of people don’t pay heed to it whatsoever. 

Safety is monumental. We have to look out for ourselves, and beneath the fun loving exterior that is TikTok, we’re presented with a much scarier side. 

If you’re talking to a person you’ve never met before, chances are that they’re not who they say they are and you don’t know who could be on the other side of that screen. Be aware and stay alert because you should always be your number one priority. 

Taking a step away from stranger danger, the content itself is sometimes very insensitive or indicative of an emotional or touchy subject. Things such as racism, eating disorders, depression, and much more. 

When one posts about such things thinking they’re making light of a situation, really all they’re doing is making things so much worse. It can leave someone feeling very little about themselves or it can make them think that what they’re going through is pointless and meaningless. 

Or sometimes, it can even induce such behaviors in a person if they weren’t established beforehand. For example, when users post videos of their bodies or how thin they are, it can trigger a person to actually develop a harmful and obsessive disease. Refraining from such topics could quite literally save a person’s life. 

People always ask why there’s so much hate towards TikTok. And the only answer I have for you right now is because the pleasure and entertainment you could reap from it is nothing compared to the harm it causes to society and people all over the globe. And I think that’s enough reason for us to put down our phones and face the reality, the truth, of TikTok.