TikTok can be a much more dangerous platform than you think, and maybe you should stop using it.
Online videos They are one of the forms of entertainment most used by technology lovers, and there are some platforms that perfectly fulfill that purpose. In this case, with over 1 billion monthly users, it’s fair to say that TikTok has conquered this world since its launch in 2016, also becoming one of the most popular social networks of the moment.
But like many social media apps, not everything is rosy, and TikTok has a dark side that might make you think twice about using the app. Therefore, we want to introduce you 5 reasons why you should stop using TikTok.
TikTok isn’t that good for your brain
TikTok’s short video format has been linked to decreased attention span when the app is used for more than 90 minutes a day. While using an app that damages your brain is not a good idea for anyone, the problem is particularly concerning on TikTok due to its demographics.
And it is that, more than 60 percent of the users of the platform are less than 24 years old, an age in which the human brain is not yet fully developed.
The censorship and moderation problems that exist on the platform
Moderation within TikTok is a real disaster. For example, the problem surrounding tag removal has led some already marginalized communities to be further excluded. One of the most important events occurred in 2020 when it became known that moderators had to suppress the publications of users who were “too ugly, poor, or disabled.”
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The problem is far from improving, has gotten worse over time. This has made the platform no longer a safe place for people with some type of complex, as well as for children and adolescents.
The challenges of social media are nothing new. Many of them are fun and harmless and often raise money for a good cause, but TikTok has taken the idea of challenges to a few dangerous and disproportionate levels.
The “penny challenge” (in which a penny is dropped between a plug and a charger) has caused house fires, Meanwhile he “challenge of the skullbreaker” which involves intentionally tripping people, caused serious injury. All of this makes TikTok completely inappropriate for children, yet many continue to use the app without adult supervision.
Data collection
For better or for worse, most users now accept that all modern applications they track somehow. In its privacy policy, TikTok says that it collects the “information you provide in the context of composing, sending or receiving messages.” Yes, TikTok can actively see what you are writing in messages to your friends, even if you never hit the send button.
It also requests access to your phone model, screen resolution, current operating system, phone number, email address, location, keystroke patterns, and even contact lists. If you think about it, this would seem too much if you only want to watch 15 second clips.
The large amount of inappropriate content available on TikTok
In social networks you often find cases of harassment, abuse and cyberbullying, among others, however, on TikTok the problem may be deeper. Younger users, for example, have uploaded sexually provocative content, while there have also been cases of people trying to ruin the lives of their former ex-partners by uploading videos and photos of their old relationships.
But this is not all, sadly, there is also an endless stream of anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia. There have even been cases of ISIS using the platform to promote its extremist propaganda. All these problems can lead you down a path that you do not want to follow, especially when it comes to the little ones.
And if you think that the platform is no longer for you, here we show you how to delete your TikTok account permanently.
Related topics: Technology
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