TikTok, a social media platform created in September 2016, grew in popularity during the COVID quarantine. As of February 2023, there are over one billion monthly active users. If you look at the person next to you, you might see them scrolling through their For You Page. As this app takes the world by storm, many question TikTok’s safety and whether it should be trusted.
TikTok allows user-made videos between 30 seconds to 10 minutes long, with anything the user would want to post. However, while this may seem like an opportunity to pursue individuality, others may abuse this and post things that are looked down upon by society.
“You can’t control what comes up on your For You Page so sometimes you may get inappropriate content on that,” said Ms. Jennifer Wright, the business management teacher. “That’s my biggest concern, especially with teenage viewing, but it is a place where you can let loose and have some fun and enjoy dancing and other things.”
The White House, however, thinks it’s more dangerous than others are leading on. Believing that TikTok might be used for spyware, the Biden administration banned it from government devices. “US officials have raised concerns that the Chinese government could pressure ByteDance to hand over information collected from users that could be used for intelligence or disinformation purposes,” CNN reports. Soon after this arrangement, many other governments followed suit including Canada, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and even India in fear that espionage was in play.
Security.org, a website with expert advice about security, posted about this issue recently. “As far as social media platforms go, TikTok is safe — but there are some caveats! The app doesn’t contain malware and it doesn’t steal its users’ personal information, but that’s not to say using TikTok doesn’t come with any risks,” the website states. “After combing through TikTok’s privacy policy, we can say that it’s about as secure and private as any other social media platform. It’s not any safer, but it’s also not any more dangerous.”
While TikTok is a fun app, it’s just like any other social media app with its privacy and safety policies. To begin with, social media was never safe or made for kids. As time moves forward, parents should more vigilant in protecting their kids from the dangers of social media.
SOURCES: https://www.security.org/digital-safety/is-tiktok-safe/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/28/politics/tiktok-federal-device-ban-guidance/index.html
