TikTok and Other Social Media: Protection of Children from Online World

Growing up in a time where everything is going digital and learning to shift from manual parenting to a technologically savvy approach can be a balancing act. Raising children in the digital age of social media taking over all major industries is a whole other story. Parents are often put on the pedestal when it comes to raising their kids the best way they know how and without the pretense of societal control or constraint.

In an ever-evolving time where both young and old people are being raised to know motor skills and learning how to operate an IOS device can be a tricky subject matter for parents. There are people who are keen on finding the right tools and technology to help develop children’s most fundamental skills, while there are parents who refuse to let their children fall deep into the trapping technology often has over users, regardless of age. Tech companies have also been keen on developing programs and apps that cater best to a child’s growth and development. Companies like Apple and YouTube have been on the front lines of bringing parents and children more convenient services to use, but with constant criticism from parents themselves when internet behavior gets in the way of the company’s goal.

TikTok on the Clock Indeed

An app that has been making waves in terms of social engagement and community is TikTok, which is one of the latest contenders to join the big four; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat in the quest to be one of the most viral social networking apps. According to NDTV, the app which established itself in the tech landscape in 2016 has evolved to the most downloaded app on Apple in the first half of 2018 over Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. China’s ByteDance owns the site and has taken credit for the 500 million users it accumulated as of June 2018.

TikTok has found its footing in the international market and has a grip on the US market since it purchases Musacal.ly a year prior. The app doesn’t just cover the usual features of a social networking app, it holds its own spin of originality over the big four with their “Express Yourself” feature. Essentially, it enables users to upload 15-second videos clips underneath sound bites, songs, and effects, hovering over Snapchat and Twitter, according to Vox.  In its quest to rank alongside the big four social media and networking apps, TikTok also has its litany of issues to deal with in terms of online privacy and user safety.

It’s Gonna Take More than Online Child Safety Locks

Recently, digital media and video hosting pioneer, YouTube has been under a lot of scrutinies since the child safety concerns pedophiles post in the comments section of certain videos showcasing children performing mundane activities. The company reportedly banned all predatory comments, along with advertisers who decided to pull their ads from the digital platform. YouTube continues its efforts to keep their platform immersive and at the same time safe for parents and their children but is also comes off as a cautionary tale for other digital media platforms.

TikTok, being new to the whole digital landscape on social networking has been baited by the systematic effects of net neutrality and precaution. According to Vox, TikTok has evolved into a “hunting ground” for child predators online, those of which make use of the app to communicate with kids through the app’s own messaging system.

With more than half a billion users worldwide, it seems safe to assume that the young tech start-up has expanded and found ways to cater to users in the most flexible way possible. That being said, according to CNN Business, the owner of TikTok and Musical.ly, Bytedance decided to merge the two apps last August 2018 and has since been a success in the US market. However, the increasing popularity of the app also garnered equal amounts of negative feedback from parents and older users.

In a report by the Federal Trade Commission, several disturbing practices have been discovered through the download and usage of the apps. Some of which include collecting and exposing the location of young users, which TikTok ignored despite several complaints filed by parents. The social networking app failed to delete information regarding the app’s users who were underage and held onto the said information longer than necessary, according to the FTC. In a statement to the Guardian, the FTC chairman, Joe Simons said: “we’ve now implemented changes to accommodate younger US users in a limited, separate app experience that introduces additional safety and privacy protections designed specifically for this audience.”

In an ongoing effort to gain more online social engagement through social media apps and social networking platforms, the line between regulated application systems and user safety hangs in the balance. Young users and parents who are immersed in technology and aren’t afraid to maximize experiences with a constant presence of technology in their lifestyles may need to reevaluate the way they parent and co-exist with their children in light of the dangers that such social networking platforms pose in the digital age of media and technology.