Tik Tok is ticking time off your clock

By Sophie Werwage

Tik Tok is a popular app that has had an increased popularity in the recent months.

Everybody knows the popular app Tik Tok and the different videos posted to the social media platform. As a student trying to balance the homework load, sports and having a social life all within the week, when given the opportunity for downtime, I often go on social media as a way to relax. Now with Tik Tok in mind, seven second videos sound like a great way to spend that time. What this generation doesn’t realize is that Gen Z spends way too much time and energy on Tik Tok. It’s beginning to affect our day to day activities and how our generation spends time. Tik Tok takes away from any free time that you could be spending with your friends or family.

Do you think Tik Tok is addicting?

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Over 500 million people have downloaded Tik Tok and are using it daily and it shows in students day to day activities. Students are now spending too much time watching these videos and spending less time with their friends and studying. At our school alone, 58 students spend three or more hours on the app. With our generation we have to be careful about what we post and what we consume in media form. Whether its by form of video, actual consumptions or just being on social media too much, people spend way too much energy caring about how many likes people get or how many followers we have than the real problem: our life passing us by. Even here the average amount of time that is spent on Tik Tok is three or more hours which is relatively high compared to other people’s consumption which ranges about 30 minutes to an hour.

This app takes away from their school work and getting their high school diploma and/or degree or earning enough money for themselves and all they spend money on. 67 students say that they could not quit tik tok if they needed too. This just proves that tik tok is one of the many addictions our generation is facing. This all started because musically turned into Tik Tok and we all thought it was a giant joke but now were very addicted. Lastly, their families might feel this impact. As most Tik Tokers are in school, they might choose to spend their spare moments at their funny friends house to create more content for their followers than going to see their family that they could live far away from depending on where they go to school. 

There are ways we can combat this addiction though. To start off, screen time is a huge help. On Apple phones as well as Samsung, you are able to set screen time to limit hours on apps and to help restrict the temptations Tik Tok create in our day to day lives. You could also have quiet time which is the same thing as screen regulation. Screen time would give you a set amount of time to be on the app and then remind you when you have 30 minutes left or even five minutes left. We are all addicted to technology as much as we want to deny it. We use technology to our advantage but let’s not allow this to be our own downfall. I’m not saying to cut off all technology like the boomers want us to, but we should at least limit ourselves for the sake of our health.