Tiktok: Should Parents Be Alarmed? How Can It Be Safe for Kids? [Good Effects Revealed]

TikTok parents safe children

By Fatima Virrey , Parent Herald Aug 17, 10:12 am

Photo: (Photo : Photo by Julia M Cameron from Pexels)

The social media application, TikTok entertain a lot of children and even adults. Parents have expressed concern over the application's possible effects on children.

There can be pros and cons in using the application. Also, there could be ways that parents can use to make TikTok safe for children.

The concerns over TikTok

Last April, the application has been downloaded for more than 2 billion times.

The United States, Australia, and even other countries have already shown their concern over the application's access to the personal data of its users.

As there are children who use TikTok, governments are afraid that the makers of the application, ByteDance, will hand over data to the Chinese government. TikTok has already denied this allegation.

Even with these concerns, there are still some positive effects that are seen in watching and creating TikTok videos.

The positive effects of TikTok videos

According to The Conversation, TikTok is not entirely worry-some. This social media site is also proven to be an effective bridge in letting young people support each other. That can be proven through the number of views on hashtags that are coronavirus-related during the pandemic.

TikTok also became a platform for entertainment and fun of a lot of people. Even organizations like WHO have leveraged TikTok videos in providing public health advice to young children.

Also, TikTok became an avenue in nurturing the creativity of children.

The risks of TikTok

When the United States government proposed the ban of TikTok, they believed that it was not safe for the users.

In the same article published by The Conversation, they mentioned that the risks of using TikTok on children are also apparent. Since it is a social networking platform, other people can contact them.

Also, TikTok and creating TikTok videos can be distracting to some children.

How to keep kids safe when on TikTok?

No matter the risks, parents can still keep their child safe when on TikTok.

Here are some tips that can keep them safe, not only in TikTok but also in other social media platforms:

Check the privacy settings

The parents can limit the information that their children can share online by checking the privacy settings. This way, they know what strangers or other people see in their children's profiles.

Talk to the kids about their social media activities

In the case of TikTok, parents may ask their children about the TikTok videos that they have watched, or videos that the kids would like to recreate.

Talking openly to the kids can also be a way for parents to teach their children about the dangers of social media.

Be an example

Children see their parents as their role model, not only in daily activities but even in online presence.

As parents, you can start by showing that being respectable online is important.