TikTok is the devil and my daughter is obsessed

May 3·1 min read

She's 13 and literally cannot put down TikTok. I deleted it once and she cried for an hour. All her friends use it so she says I'm trying to ruin her social life. I've tried screen time limits, talked to her about what's appropriate, but she just finds workarounds. Considering just letting her have it but monitoring closer because I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. What's everyone else's take on TikTok for teens?

4 comments147 views

Comments(4)

RRonRegularMay 3

The crying for an hour part is rough but also probably shows just how much the algorithm has hooked her. TikTok is literally designed to be addictive. Have you thought about replacing it with something else she might enjoy?

RRonRegularMay 4

I feel your pain. Instead of going nuclear and deleting it, have you tried setting parental controls with time limits? My daughter actually responded better to knowing she had a set window rather than a total ban.

RRexRegularMay 3

13 is such a tough age for this stuff. My oldest is getting there too and I'm already dreading it. What has worked better than just deleting the app? Because that seems like it backfired pretty hard.

CChris R.RegularMay 3

Deleted it and she cried for an hour though? Yeah that's not a long term strategy. You might need to have a real conversation about why she needs it and what she's actually getting out of it.