Unpopular opinion: TikTok isn't the enemy

Jan 24·1 min read

I keep seeing posts here about how TikTok is rotting kids' brains but my 14yo has found communities around his actual interests (photography, skateboarding, environmental stuff) and the motivation he gets from seeing other kids his age doing cool things is genuinely cool. Yeah I check what he's watching, yeah the algorithm can get weird, but he's more creative than he's ever been. Maybe I'm just lucky? Or maybe we're all being paranoid? Idk, open to pushback but that's been my experience.

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Comments(5)

SStevenRegularJan 25

I think you're onto something here. TikTok has problems but so did every other thing kids were into when we were younger. My 13yo found a community of kids learning animation on TikTok and it actually inspired her to take a class. The algorithm sucks sometimes but it's not all bad.

JJamesRegularJan 25

The nuance people don't want to hear is that it depends on how it's being used. If your kid is mindlessly scrolling for hours yeah that's a problem. But if they're actually engaged and learning like you're describing then it's a tool like anything else.

EEricRegularJan 25

This take is refreshing. My son joined a community of kids into robotics through TikTok and he's made actual friends. But I still worry about the addictive design even if the content is good.

MMarcoRegularJan 26

Hard disagree with you but I respect the perspective. I think the concern isn't really about the content it's about the platform deliberately engineering addiction in kids. That's the rotting brains part for most people.

AAnthonyRegularJan 26

What kind of communities is your 14yo in? Asking because I'm trying to figure out if I'm being too paranoid about the app or if there's actual substance to the concerns.