Envision a world where TikTok no longer exists. Those entertaining, quirky videos come with a significant downside: your privacy. If the app were to be permanently banned, you might be better off. So, how is TikTok monitoring you? What are the health risks of excessive TikTok consumption? And would banning the app resolve any issues?
TikTok has rapidly grown in popularity worldwide. In just a few years, billions of individuals have downloaded the app. Initially a platform for sharing lip-syncing videos, it has transformed into one of the largest media companies on the planet. It’s likely that your entire family is scrolling through its content right now.
Banning TikTok might lead to improvements in some people’s mental health.
Why is the app so addictive? The site’s algorithm constantly adapts, aiming to provide you with the content you want when you want it. You have been supplying this digital beast with your personal data for years. The result is that TikTok knows you better than you know yourself. But how much do you know about the platform?
The company was initially headquartered in Beijing, China, meaning that the private data of billions of users were in the hands of a company subject to a strict and occasionally oppressive government. In response to privacy concerns, TikTok has since established a U.S. data center to store American users’ data, addressing some of these concerns. Nevertheless, Chinese law requires companies to provide the government with data upon request.
Although there is no concrete evidence of TikTok spying on you, the app does collect data on your phone, usage patterns, and location. It even employs third-party tracking services, which means a foreign government always knows your whereabouts. While China hasn’t been caught crossing any lines, India has taken precautions by banning TikTok and other Chinese apps over data theft concerns.
The TikTok algorithm is designed to provide users with a continuous dopamine rush.
What if the U.S. banned TikTok today? Many popular content creators would need to find new platforms quickly. Some earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per post, and banning the app would instantly strip them of their fame and fortune. Furthermore, many TikTok users rely on the platform as a news and information source. Disrupting this information flow could have negative consequences.
TikTok hosts numerous online communities that share knowledge, life hacks, and medical advice. Banning the app would force these groups and their creators to migrate to other social media platforms or risk disappearing altogether. Cultural shifts may also occur as people potentially spend less time on their phones.
The TikTok algorithm is designed to provide users with a continuous dopamine rush. If no new app fills the void, people might spend less time on their devices, potentially benefiting society.
TikTok has rapidly grown in popularity worldwide, transforming into one of the largest media companies on the planet.
In 2021, neurologists observed a surge in teenage girls exhibiting Tourette’s syndrome-like symptoms, even though they did not have the disease. Instead, they had a sociogenic illness brought on by watching too many videos about Tourette’s syndrome and other disorders. The TikTok algorithm inundated these young women with so much specialized content that it impacted their mental and physical health.
Banning TikTok might lead to improvements in some people’s mental health due to reduced exposure to such content. While the U.S. federal government hasn’t imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok, new legislation prohibits accessing the app on U.S. government-owned devices. Some states have also banned the app on their government devices.
However, these bans might not be particularly effective. India’s ban on TikTok can be circumvented using a virtual private network (VPN). On the bright side, if people reduce their screen time, they may spend more time with loved ones, potentially leading to increased intimacy and population growth. This raises an interesting question: what if we implemented a 50-year ban on having babies?
