Nowadays, teenagers get easily influenced by TikTok. It has many positive and negative effects on them. Some of them aren’t even aware of it, but their lifestyle, fashion style, and purchases are heavily affected by the app.

Many trends have emerged since the app’s creation. Dances, purchases, lifestyles, fashion, etc, all affect teenagers nowadays.

Some of these tendencies aren’t necessarily positive for the teens.

Some of them can be dangerous or inappropriate. For example, the sticky note darts affixed to the ceiling can be hazardous if they fall onto someone’s head.

The new ‘flip the camera’ trend is when a group of people ask a random person to record them. As they are dancing, they subtly flip the camera on the person, completely unaware. It is inappropriate as it involves making fun of innocent strangers.

“I think it’s odd because you literally expose yourself as a bully to the whole world.” A student said about the ‘flip the camera’ trend.

TikTok can have many negative effects on adolescents’ mental health. It can cause addiction, depression, negative body image, and poor sleep quality. However, there can be a few positive effects on them, such as friendships, creativity, and self-expression.

Additionally, the app’s ownership changed. It is now half-owned by American companies, such as Silver Lake, Oracle, and MGX. The other half is owned by ByteDance (the Chinese parent) and ByteDance investors.

This change may significantly impact TikTok users. Given that US political dynamics currently lean to the right, increased exposure to US-based content algorithms could introduce users to more conservative points of view, therefore influencing and potentially shifting their political perspectives toward a direction that isn’t theirs.

In conclusion, TikTok’s influence on teenagers is very significant. While it offers opportunities for creativity and connection, it also presents challenges that require critical awareness from its users.