By Neil Pandey ‘24, Feature Staff Writer

TikTok is a social media app with over 1 billion users in 150 countries. On this app, people all across the globe can post anything from cooking videos to dances. A true testament to the connectedness of the world, TikTok stands as the pinnacle of what social media has to offer in the modern day. Despite the benefits TikTok offers, could TikTok be manipulating their users?

In a college study, Brigham Young University (BYU) found that most of their students spent 3-7 hours a day on screens, and the majority of this time was spent on TikTok. For many students, spending time on social media is how students relax and unwind, and a mental break is perfectly normal. However, for many students, this “break” seems to slowly eat up the whole day, leaving them with stress and anxiety as they panic to finish the work that could have been finished long ago. For example, a 10th grader at NA found that they were spending 4 hours on TikTok per day, eating up valuable and possibly productive time every day. Eventually this student put an hour time limit on TikTok in order to restrict themselves. Although many people have learned to successfully manage their time, others fall into the trap of TikTok addiction.

Most students are not oblivious to their susceptibility to TikTok, but they still spend hours scrolling through videos. According to newsforyouth.org, TikTok’s ability to provide users with immediate, personalized content paired in short videos creates a recipe for addiction. This type of content allows for minimal user effort when finding content that suits individual interests; all the user needs to do is open the app. The short video times create the illusion in which the user does not feel that much time has passed. In the user’s mind, it seems as if only a few 15-second videos have passed by, but this time quickly accumulates. 

Although it may feel difficult to escape the  trap of TikTok addiction, there are many resources to help battle this emerging issue. For example, digitalresponsibility.org explains that creating a time limit for yourself is a simple method to reduce TikTok use. Quitting dopamine-inducing activities, such as TikTok, is a tough task, so finding other hobbies or activities that you enjoy could help fill time that would be lost to TikTok.

Remember: social connection, artistic expression, and fun are not bad things. They are healthy things that every person needs. However, when this fun begins to disrupt your life, something needs to change. TikTok addiction, although may not seem prevalent, is a serious issue, and acknowledging this issue and taking steps to fix it can lead to a happier, more productive life.