A survey conducted amongst U.S. parents reveals that approximately one-third of them believe that TikTok should be banned in the country.
Okay, I’m going to express more sympathy than I typically do towards elder individuals admonishing technology as the work of the devil here because, let’s face it: being a parent in the technology era is difficult. Like it or not, excessive exposure to technology is inevitably harmful to young, impressionable minds, and for more reasons than one. Other than too much screen time being addictive and unhealthy for children, parents also have to grapple with the fact that the internet is a particularly unsafe place. The likes of racists, hatemongers, groomers, and scammers run amok with absolutely no remorse for their actions. Such individuals can only influence kids in the worst of ways, and can leave debilitating virtual wounds in their wake. Yeah, I get the fact that the average individual dismissing TikTok as cringe-inducing sounds stupid; it’s a platform aimed towards literal children, what else did you expect? However, parents have more than enough valid gripes with the platform particularly, and online platforms generally.
Let’s take a look at this specific study and assess what information it provides to us with regards to parents and their attitude towards TikTok. The study was conducted by All About Cookies, which is a cybersecurity research firm that often dabbles in such investigations. The data was compiled from 1,000 US citizens who were also parents at the time. Overall, 50% of the populace believed that social media ended up making kids grow older too fast, and they were pleased to not have the technology in their youth. 30% of K-12 parents in particular keep their children divorced from social media entirely, choosing to let them interact with the technology at older ages.
As we’ve mentioned before, 33% of the sample population openly wished for TikTok to be banned in the US entirely. However, what we didn’t mention is that the platform was also trusted the least out of all social media sites, with 52% of individuals sharing their mutual dislike. This, in my opinion, is a moment of collective consciousness impairing our judgment, because platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are just as harmful, if not more; it’s just that these platforms are more interacted with by older generations, while the likes of TikTok and Snapchat are utilized mostly by gen Z and whatnot. Take a look at below charts for more insights:
Read next: These Android Educational Apps Might Be Violating Your Privacy
Okay, I’m going to express more sympathy than I typically do towards elder individuals admonishing technology as the work of the devil here because, let’s face it: being a parent in the technology era is difficult. Like it or not, excessive exposure to technology is inevitably harmful to young, impressionable minds, and for more reasons than one. Other than too much screen time being addictive and unhealthy for children, parents also have to grapple with the fact that the internet is a particularly unsafe place. The likes of racists, hatemongers, groomers, and scammers run amok with absolutely no remorse for their actions. Such individuals can only influence kids in the worst of ways, and can leave debilitating virtual wounds in their wake. Yeah, I get the fact that the average individual dismissing TikTok as cringe-inducing sounds stupid; it’s a platform aimed towards literal children, what else did you expect? However, parents have more than enough valid gripes with the platform particularly, and online platforms generally.
Let’s take a look at this specific study and assess what information it provides to us with regards to parents and their attitude towards TikTok. The study was conducted by All About Cookies, which is a cybersecurity research firm that often dabbles in such investigations. The data was compiled from 1,000 US citizens who were also parents at the time. Overall, 50% of the populace believed that social media ended up making kids grow older too fast, and they were pleased to not have the technology in their youth. 30% of K-12 parents in particular keep their children divorced from social media entirely, choosing to let them interact with the technology at older ages.
As we’ve mentioned before, 33% of the sample population openly wished for TikTok to be banned in the US entirely. However, what we didn’t mention is that the platform was also trusted the least out of all social media sites, with 52% of individuals sharing their mutual dislike. This, in my opinion, is a moment of collective consciousness impairing our judgment, because platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are just as harmful, if not more; it’s just that these platforms are more interacted with by older generations, while the likes of TikTok and Snapchat are utilized mostly by gen Z and whatnot. Take a look at below charts for more insights:
