TikTok Should Be Used by Government to Inform High Schoolers on COVID Safety, Teen Suggests

Staying on top of the latest and credible news about COVID-19 information, and sifting through random posts and articles online can be a challenge, especially to teenagers today. 

So, one teen suggests that officials should make a video on TikTok to address this. 

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The suggestion from a teen

Josie Pearson, 15 years old and a sophomore at North Country Union High School said that there are so many kids out there who just don't know about COVID-19 information. 

Pearson added that many of her peers do not know, they know something but is false, or do not care about COVID-19 information as well as the safety measures and protocols for this. 

Aside from these, Pearson revealed that those peers of hers do not follow all of the guidelines. They even hold parties outside of their school, and they also keep their masks below their noses in the hallways. These cases, as Pearson said, "they just don't know any better." 

Social media and teachers

When asked about where they get COVID-19 information from, Pearson said that there are two consistent sources which are social media and their teachers. 

Aimee Alexander, a teacher of Pearson, said that talking about current events has always been a normal part of her classes. 

On the other hand, Alexander revealed that sharing news about the pandemic, about COVID-19 information, and other guidelines related to it, feels different. She said that COVID-19 information is indeed critical to people staying alive. 

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Sharing information

Ted Fisher, with the Vermont Agency of Education, said that the state shares sources with schools about the pandemic but they do not tell the school what to tell their families. He added that they do not ask or require that they pass such news along. 

Alexander thinks that without teachers like herself, other teens would not be getting any public health information. 

She revealed that when a mandate about health guidelines came out in the middle of November, many of her students did not hear about it until she had brought it up in her class. 

It is good for those teens who have adults in their lives that they can rely on for credible COVID-19 information, but not all teens have this. 

Resolving the issue

With this, Pearson suggested something to resolve this. As a teen, she has said earlier that kids her age rely on social media for news and what is happening today. So, Pearson suggested that health care workers should try making a video on TikTok with COVID-19 information to reach out to kids. She even said that she would watch it herself. 

TikTok is paving the way as one of the top social media out there. Thus, Pearson's idea of making a video on TikTok is a good one, considering that most teens spend their time scrolling on this platform. 

On the other hand, Pearson said that if officials will make a video on TikTok about the pandemic, then they should consider putting a dance to it to make it more appealing to the youth. 

Aside from making a video on TikTok, Pearson thinks that teachers should share more about the virus, especially now that cases are rising and vaccines are many months away. 

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