Tik Tok - An App To Doom

Tik tok which was originally developed in China as Douyin is an app that enables the user to record short videos and mix them with existing audio files or a new audio file.

It was created by the ByteDance technology in 2016. Since then it had gained popularity among the teenagers in China and later it was merged with the musical.ly app which was also famous among the teenagers in the U.S in August, 2018.

For many it is a way to replace Vine and as of June 2018 the app had reached 500 million users , making it's way to the list of the most downloaded apps. While you may hear a lot about how kids are having crazy fun on apps like TikTok, Clip, and Kwai, investigations find these apps are also making them vulnerable and opening doors to exploitation.

“TikTok capitalises on short-term creative content that other platforms don’t encourage, by their design and community. If there is one thing Silicon Valley can learn from Chinese app development, it’s that it is tuned in to viral-as-a-service, meaning that their most popular apps have really been about making content and personas viral and also hyper-engaged,” explained Brian Solis from the US tech advisory firm Altimeter.

Essentially, TikTok is a blank canvas. Users can do and film whatever they want. However, it’s massively a social experience. Users can add hashtags to their posts to increase visibility, similar to Instagram or Twitter, and often use these hashtags to participate in challenges or jump on to the latest meme bandwagon. And if you want them to be featured , then the video has to involve you performing some good tricks.

The problem arises here. To feauture the video people perform dangerous stunts . And the challenges that keep popping up every now and then , make their way into everyday news (not in a good way though). Starting from the Kiki challenge (the person jumps out of the car and dances alongside while the driver shoots the videos in most cases), the nillu nillu challenge( involved a group of boys jumping in front of the moving vehicles out of nowhwere and starts dancing- especially in Kerala), the hit or miss and the recent birdbox challenge , people have either hurt themselves or have lost their lives and making it dangerous for kids and other young people.A cursory Google search will reveal a handful of news stories about the app, plus a selection of YouTube compilations of TikTok user videos – these are typically based around trending ‘challenges’ or popular memes. Most of the videos are completely decontextualized and end just as quickly as they begin.

While TikTok is primarily designed for having fun, some of its users are making a success on the app. Take Lisa and Lena Mantler, for example. The 16-year-old identical twins from Stuttgart have amassed 31.6 million followers on TikTok, along with equally impressive numbers on their other social media platforms. Baby Ariel also gained fame through this app and is now making it big in the music field , releasing her own albums.

These TikTok celebs make money from brand partnerships, promoting everything from new music to clothing lines in their social media handles.

No social media site or app is inherently dangerous. However, they do have the potential to be exploited by people wishing to do harm.

With its younger user base, TikTok is particularly exposed to potential privacy, security and safety issues. TikTok is acutely aware of its young user base and even has a ‘For Parents’ section of its site, where it states:

TikTok is a destination for short-form mobile videos. Our mission is to capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and precious life moments, directly from the mobile phone. TikTok enables everyone to be a creator, and encourages users to share their passion and creative expression through their videos. TikTok is intended for users age 13 and over. Please do not allow a child under the age of 13 to use the app.”

TikTok, for its part, has a range of easily-accessiblereporting toolsand content moderation guidelines. However, it is unclear whether TikTok actively enforces these guidelines or is expecting its user community to flag posts.

However in the end, everything depends on the way we use it. Safety is the primary concern here. If your kid uses TikTok then make sure you keep an eye on them and check them out time to time.