As Americans anxiously await to see if TikTokactually gets banned, a new study revealed how parents might actually benefit from the app going dark. (Other than the obvious — no more doomscrolling after our kids go to bed!)
A January study by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) sampled more than 10,000 11-to-15-year-olds and found that 69.5 percent had at least one social media account, with the most common platform being TikTok. And this wasn’t limited by the 13-year-old age limit. Over 63 percent of users ages 11 and 12 reported social media use. (And 6.3 percent said they hide at least one social media account from their parents!)
As a parent, this is scary. How do we really know what kids are doing online if so many of them are lying about their age to access an account — and then hiding it from us? As a former tween, though, I get it. I created a MySpace account in minutes after switching my birthdate from “1993” to “1991” just to meet the age requirement. And back then it was much harder to hide from our parents because they couldn’t use the phone line while we were online, and they could hear the internet dialing up from across the house. With the ease of having a phone in your pocket now, it’s no wonder so many kids are on the app!
In fact, the latest information from the Pew Research Center found that nearly half of teens ages 13-17 said they are online “almost constantly.” In this study, YouTube topped the list of platforms, with 90 percent of teens saying they used it, followed by TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Breaking it down even further, 87 percent of teens ages 13-14 admitted to using YouTube, 55 percent to using TikTok, and 43 percent to using Instagram. The study didn’t look at tweens, but we can imagine those numbers are trending up as well.
All this to say, the UCSF researchers believe a ban could help protect tweens and teens who spend so much time online. “Policymakers need to look at TikTok as a systemic social media issue and create effective measures that protect children online,” said Jason Nagata, MD, a pediatrician at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and the lead author of the study. “TikTok is the most popular social media platform for children, yet kids reported having more than three different social media accounts, including Instagram and Snapchat.”
Of course, TikTok may soon be a thing of the past. In the latest update on the TikTok-getting-banned saga, the Supreme Court seems poised to vote in favor of the ban, which is set to go into effect on Sunday, Jan. 19. However, the Biden administration said in a statement to ABC News that it will not enforce it.
“Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership,” a White House spokesperson said. “Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement.” (Additionally, YouTube star Mr. Beast has also talked about buying the app, but so far, nothing is set in stone.)
Downloads of the Chinese social networking app REDnote have been up in light of the impending TikTok ban; it is currently number one in social networking. So even if the TikTok ban is enforced, that doesn’t mean parents can be complacent about what their kids are doing online.
For more information on keeping your kids safe online, check out these tips.
Before you go, check out these celebrities who have shared their technology rules for their kids.
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