Briana C. Guzman

Should Social media like Tik Tok set a time limit towards viewers?

Is tik tok worth it?

Everyone knows what social media is. Everyone has at least 1 app on their device that is involved in the social media category including YouTube but do we realize how long we spend looking through our screens because of social media? This project will conduct different perspectives from individuals who believe that social media is either a waste of time or is worth our time. Should we change?

Main issues that is going to be covered

  • Is Tik Tok worth your time?

  • Why is Tik Tok addictive?

  • How does social media affect individuals life?

  • How do people deal with cyberbullying?

  • What was tik tok years before it appeared?

  • How does Tik Tok influence their audience?

Results of survey

This survey has helped me understand different point of views of individuals of the age range of 14-18 years old. 25 teenagers in total were interviewed. They were asked "Should Social Media like TiK Tok set a time limit towards viewers?". With 14/25 people agreeing there should be a time limit because it is a waste of time, including the fact that tik tok is a very toxic place for those who view it on a daily bases. Yet 11/14 people said No, there should not be a time limit. They claim that people should have more self-control and learn when it's best to stop. Not just self-control but also that Tik Tok provides entertainment towards those who open the app.

Interview Summary

This interview we learn the thoughts and opinions of 15 year old Melany Guzman who is an Honor straight A 8th grader student at Sidney Sawyer Elementary school. She wishes to help others understand her thoughts and beliefs on the very popular app “Tik Tok”. The purpose of this interview is to know what a female teenager has gone through and how Tik Tok has affected her. Before Tik Tok, Musically was the name of the app which launched in 2014, with about 10 million videos being uploaded every day. Then in September of 2016, Musically was rebranded as Tik Tok with more than 1 billion users, updates and features. Many people have been affected by Tik Tok, one way or another. That includes Melany Guzman. Melany knew what she was talking about and understood that a time limit on tik Tok won't make much of a difference but instead cause more rage and disappointment. During her interview she was asked "How many hours do you suspect you spend on Tik Tok?” her response was “I suspect that now that I go to school I spend a lot less than what I used to in quarantine which was 6+ hours including using it in the middle of class. Now I suspect I spend 3-4 hours on the app.” Another question that helps prove how Tik Tok can be addicting for an individual is “How is Tik Tok addicting?” her answer is “Tik tok is addictive because it gives you the content that you want to see. Once you are bored with a specific subject of content, tik tok will refresh giving you another topic to be addicted to, giving you the joy of not being bored.” Both of these questions and responses prove that Tik Tok is very important to individuals who consider it their favorite app and spend many hours on it. What does she think of wasting time on social media? One of her most impactful quotes that talk about wasting time on Tik Tok is, “Do you really believe tik tok cares that you are wasting your time? That is literally their goal, to get more money! They would never put a time limit on something that makes them money thanks to your time using the app”. I agree because many of us grew up knowing and loving attention produced by social media. People use that desire against us for them to get money, jobs, and careers. But How does Tik Tok negativity affect teenagers? Melany's response to “Have you ever felt rage, sadness, or confusion with the content that tik tok produces?” is “YES! I have felt rage, sadness and confusion. A lot of times for example BLM protests, animal abuse, native children and women, stop asian hate, anti maskers, etc. These topics make me feel mad and sad. There have been many times where I feel so emotional and mad that I feel frustrated that I can't do something to help or go through the screen and speak the truth.” I'm sure that anyone who has encountered a video that angers them can agree with her explanations because even I has felt the same way. Celebrities found success thanks to social media and that it’s a fact and yes, there have been cases where social media has given a positive impact according to Melany’s response to “How do you believe Tik tok has changed you as a person?” which is “During the pandemic, quarantine did not give me the opportunity to socialize with others. I feel like Tik tok gave me the chance to educate myself on certain topics.” Overall, what I learned conducting this interview is there are different sides and opinions other than myself when it comes to social media.

My Personal Opinion

We grew up so differently than children today. We didn’t have to be addicted to our electronic devices. We would play outside with our friends, laugh at every joke that wasn’t even funny, or even watch television shows that were so enjoyable as a kid. We didn’t understand the many things we do right now. We didn’t know how much about social media because we didn’t even have phones. Slowly but surely we started to need a cell phone for emergencies, communication, etc.. then we got a smartphone. The first applications we download on our phones are social media such as snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, tik tok, etc. In the beginning we get addicted and that hasn't yet changed. Globally, people spend about 147 minutes per day on social media. I myself even spend about 3-5 hours on social media, instead of reading a book or spending time with friends.


I believe that ever after quarantine started, people needed electronic devices more than ever , for school and for releasing boredom since we couldn’t go out because of covid-19.


I got my first phone when I was around 12-13 years old and my first social media account was on snapchat. I was very addicted to it and would spend many hours snapping my friends. I was excited that I got to communicate and share things on something many people used.


I didn't know how much addiction can affect you until I downloaded that app. My mom started to notice how much I would spend on my phone instead of doing other things. When she told me how much I was addicted, I didn’t want to accept it.


Over the years, I got less addicted to it and suddenly stopped using it. That's when I realized the amount of time I wasted using it instead of doing other things.


Coming from someone who was addicted and still is, I agree that there should be a time limit.

The time I wasted on tik tok was very precious. I could have done so many things and engaged on more important things.



Briana C. Guzman

Junior English LANG AP student

Final Research paper

4/1/22


Will a time limit on social media increase your chances of wasting less time? Research confirms the increase of daily social media usage that was up to 142 minutes has been rising up these past few years. Social media has been around for years and has given many things such as jobs, careers, and money. When someone learns more about social media, specifically tik tok they change their perspectives. On February 9, 2022 a survey was conducted to learn the different opinions of students of the age range of 14-18 year old. 25 teenagers in total were interviewed. They were asked "Should Social Media like TiK Tok set a time limit towards viewers?". With 14/25 people agreeing there should be a time limit because it is a waste of time, including the fact that tik tok is a very toxic place for those who view it on a daily basis. Yet 11/14 people said No, there should not be a time limit. They claim that people should have more self-control and learn when it's best to stop. Not just self-control but also that Tik Tok provides entertainment towards those who open the app. Although there are others who believe there would be no change and the public should learn how to have self control, nevertheless a time limit will help others have more time to finish their responsibilities, because since the pandemic of covid-19 the usage of Tik Tok increased immensely. Tik tok has become an app with incredible levels of entertainment making people have their eyes on their screen for hours resulting in them not knowing when to start their homework or such responsibilities.


Tik Tok has been one of the most downloaded apps with 2.6 billion downloads in 2020. Before Tik Tok, Musically was the name of the app which launched in 2014, with about 70 million downloads and 10 million videos being uploaded every day. Then in September of 2016, Musically was rebranded as Tik Tok. Tik Tok now has over 1 billion users, updates and features. To demonstrate the great start tik tok had, in 2019, content creators would created light hearted trends such as the famous #2spooky, involves individuals dancing to the “Scary spooky skeletons” song or some editing themselves into their videos to make their tik tok video more exciting (fanbytes.co.uk). Tik Tok might be a great start to find entertainment but it’s too much. According to Janel Paredes, Sarah Santiago, a former student at UACHS, has been struggling with addiction, she had to keep track of her time so she won't be able to waste hours on the app. She realized that something needed to change and decided to delete it. Sarah claims that she has been clean for two months but feels like 2 years. She may have deleted it but she needed to find a similar alternative so she will still be entertained and keep track of her time at the same time. She found “Youtube Reels” a similar platform but not so addicting because it’s not the original app (Paredes). It’s important to understand that you are not the only one who is struggling with the addiction of social media and Tik Tok. Time is precious. Instead of letting your time go by just to be on an app that won’t do much for your future, you can do something else. There will be another app that you can find that will be less addicting and entertaining at the same time.


Although Tik Tok may be educational and entertaining, there are things that should be brought into people’s attention. There are many situations where not only content creators but the users themselves have committed controversial actions. Cyberbullying is huge in Tik Tok. According to Jeremy Na, cyberbullying is a huge issue especially for creators whose content is seen as ‘not good enough’. There have been many creators that unfortunately have experienced this, one of them being Anna Tang (Na). Anna was having fun creating dancing videos but that soon turned into harassment and mean comments. She has received the end of Fairy Comments, a trend where people leave insulting remarks disguised with hearts and star emojis in 2020 and that still happens today. She may put on a strong act but deep inside she was hurt and really affected by the comments. “What if that’s what people really think about me? I get that they think it’s funny but deep down it really hurts” said Anna. Another victim of cyberbullying is Claudia who is 19 years old. On her main account, she has over 140,00 followers and has been body-shamed in this specific account. She says she finds it more peaceful to post on her second account which has 13,100 followers (Na). By having a bigger platform more hate will appear because more people will judge. Tik tok displays a variety of toxicity coming from everywhere. If a time limit will help people feel more confident and comfortable in their own skin then that should be the solution.


Not only for cyber bullying but also for life threatening trends. We know that Tik Tok is very popular with young adults and teens. Not only Tik Tok but other social media platforms have trends. One of them being the famous “Kylie Jenner Lip challenge”. Popular among teenage girls, the lips had to be sucked by air with a small container or cup. After 5 minutes, they would have to take the cup out and see huge puffy lips, some would come out purple and bruised. The purpose for this challenge was to look similar to the famous model and young billionaire Kylie Jenner. This trend was huge in 2015-2016 (Guzman). Many cases have resulted in permanent damage. Even so, that was not the only trend that became popular among users. According to Alia E. Dastagir, a 12- year old boy was found dead in Oklahoma for participating in the famous “Blackout challenge” Tik Tok trend. This trend involves people to choke themselves into unconsciousness. A 9 year old boy from Tennessee was found dead inside his bedroom and a 12 year old boy from Colorado was found dead inside his bathroom. All of these deaths occurred because of social media trends (Dastagir). It is a fact that children will find ways to get in contact with social media. We can prevent more deaths from happening. We can have our children be less exposed to social media by setting a time limit and making sure that what they are seeing is nothing dangerous and toxic that can provoke injuries and set a negative mental health.


Altogether, We know that a time limit will help us waste less time and engage in important activities that will benefit our future. There are other alternatives that can be entertaining to help us with addiction. We can decrease cyberbullying and help people heal mentally. We can decrease insecurities. Finally, we can prevent deaths from social media trends and prevent injuries.

Sources:


Na, Jeremy. "Cyberbullying on Tik Tok is a major issue." youthopia.sg. October 22, 2020.

https://youthopia.sg/read/cyberbullying-on-tiktok-is-a-major-issue/ Accessed March 8, 2022


Paredes, Janel. "Tik Tok: You are wasting time". uachsvoice.com. December 8, 2021

https://uachsvoice.com/5206/opinion/tik-tok-you-are-wasting-time/ Accessed March 29, 2022.


Cabe, Delaney. "TikTok: Wasting time, has little to offer but distraction." lhslance.org. January 28, 2020.

https://lhslance.org/2020/opinion/tiktok-wasting-time-has-little-to-offer-but-distraction/ Accessed March 29, 2022




Hutchinson, Andrew. "TikTok Shares New Insights into Usage Trends, and its Impact on Audience Behaviors [Infographic]." www.socialmediatoday.com. August 30, 2021

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-shares-new-insights-into-usage-trends-and-its-impact-on-audience be/605818/#:~:text=TikTok%20prompts%20people%20to%20act,can%20have%20a%20huge%20effect%E2%80%9D. / Accessed March 10, 2022




Statista Research Department. "Daily time spent on social networking by internet users worldwide from 2012 to 2022." www.statista.com. March 1, 2022/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/#:~:text=How%20much%20time%20do%20people,minutes%20in%20the%20previous%20year. / Accessed March 29, 2022


Iqbal, Mansoor. "TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics (2022)". www.businessofapps.com. February 24, 2022./

https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/ / Accessed March 10, 2022




Wikipedia. "Musical.ly". en.wikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical.ly / Accessed April 1, 2022




Fanbytes. "The most popular Tik Tok trends 2019." fanbytes.co.uk. https://fanbytes.co.uk/the-most-popular-tiktok-trends-2019/ Accessed April, 2022



Scott, Colby. "UPDATED: MOST DANGEROUS, FOOLISH, MEAN TIKTOK TRENDS & CHALLENGES." parentology.com. December 29, 2021

https://parentology.com/16-dangerous-tiktok-trends-to-watch-out-for/ Accessed April 1, 2022


Dastagir, Alia. "Children are dying in the TikTok 'Blackout' challenge. How social media is changing peer pressure." www.usatoday.com. April 27, 2021 https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/04/27/tiktok-challenge-kills-12-year-old-how-peer-pressure-has-evolved/4853507001/ /Accessed April 1,2022