Unpopular take: some TikTok is fine for teens

Dec 181 min read

Everyone acts like TikTok is the devil but my 15yo uses it and honestly? She's following dance creators, learning about social justice stuff, connecting with people who share her interests. Yeah the algorithm is sketchy and yeah I monitor it, but she's not a zombie and she's not being radicalized lol. The thing that actually worked was having an actual conversation with her about WHAT to watch for and WHY it matters instead of just banning it. Obviously there's limits but I think we're way too black-and-white about this stuff. Thoughts?

4 comments498 views

Comments(4)

BByron S.RegularDec 18

Yeah this isn't really unpopular though, it's just everyone's too tired to argue about the nuance. TikTok algorithm is genuinely wild sometimes - can show your teen actual educational content OR absolute trash depending on what she engages with. Sounds like you're daughter's got decent content sense.

RRob P.RegularDec 19

The social justice learning thing is legit. My 16yo learned more about current issues from TikTok creators than she did in history class, ngl. The algorithm thing is still sketchy but yeah if she's following people creating actual content instead of just scrolling, it's different.

IIan P.RegularDec 20

Same. My 15yo is on TikTok and she's way more informed about the world than I was at that age. Yeah there's garbage, but that's true of literally every platform and every era of teen media. At least she's engaging with something instead of just zoning out.

AAaron W.RegularDec 20

The difference is you're actually paying attention to what she's doing instead of just handing her a phone and hoping for the best. That's the actual parenting part. TikTok itself isn't the issue, disengagement is.