Entertaining or Dangerous: What Parents Should Know about TikTok

Being in quarantine at home also means days of catching up with loved ones and having fun. Some families might opt to spend time watching movies or TV series together. Some, however, choose to create funny and entertaining videos, like on TikTok. 

However, is this video application only posed for entertainment? Kid Matters discusses some things that parents ought to know about TikTok.

If your kids are into using smartphones to watch videos or are entertained when doing TikTok videos, here are some of the things you need to know:

1. Communication is open to everyone - even strangers.

Remember when children are reminded not to talk to strangers? This reminder now also also applies to online communication. When someone is on Tiktok, he or she may send or receive messages to and from someone else. That is regardless of whether the person is a follower of the user or not. Messages are not filtered by TikTok, unlike other social media platforms.

2. TikTok is very popular, being the most downloaded app in the previous years. 

Although it may sound new to some, this mobile application has already been released in 2016 by ByteDance. It is a Chinese made video app that allows you to record a video as short as 15 seconds. Being the most downloaded app, TikTok has various users and contents. 

3. Content may be suggestive. Since this mobile app contains videos and music, there is also a high chance of hearing profanities. The worst-case scenario is the content being suggestive - just like in some of the challenges found in this platform. One of the challenges includes taking off clothes while dancing to a song.

4. Tiktok collects data from users. While all other social media platforms collect data their users, TikTok shares the data gathered to third-party service providers. Not only that, but data consolidated are also shared with business partners, advertisers, and IT partners by TikTok as stated in their privacy page.

5. A facial recognition feature is about to become a game-changer. Remember the time when you need a name to know who the person you're watching is? When Tiktok's facial recognition feature is rolled out, someone's name will now only be secondary to being directed to all the other videos with that person on it. Through a box that may be dragged on the face of anyone on a video, a user may be directed to all other videos of that person. This feature may also lead to the possibility of exposing the person's name or whereabouts - even to the people who do not follow them.

TikTok, just like the other social media platforms, could be a source if entertainment during this quarantine. However, as some studies would show, one way of ensuring that what kids consume are still safe is for adults to be educated on electronics. Through this, parents will be able to assess whether an application like TikTok is suitable to their children.