Talkin’ ‘Bout TikTok

Social media offers all kinds of advice and self-help, but it doesn’t always succeed at doing what it intends to do. Even when you try to use social media responsibly, sometimes it backfires and you end up in trouble. This year, I set out to improve my study methods and productivity, since I always struggle with time-management. Of course, I searched for tips on Instagram and Tiktok. Uh-oh...

Your time is valuable to you but it is even more valuable to TikTok. Tik Tok and other social media companies want their users to spend as much time as possible on their apps because the more time a user spends on an app, the more money Tiktok makes. Apps like TikTok appear to be free to the user, but the user still pays a price -- with their data. Data in this case means the information about what...

Tomas San Juan isn’t the typical TikTok user, meaning he doesn't post videos daily. He tends to scroll through TikTok looking for clips of his favorite soccer teams and games. Often, the clips will include promotions of products. And before long, the ads for products take over. “I mostly see ads from Nike and Vans, basically like shoes or cleats and jerseys because I watch a lot of soccer videos,”...

Many teens turn to TikTok for information about the most intimate matters - sexual health. Junior Janelle Gonzalez usually relies on her aunt for information about sex and has been taught what to avoid in relationships. But sometimes she receives information through social media. She recalled that she learned about the fertility treatment IVF (in vitro fertilization) from a lesbian couple on TikTok. “People...