With the flood of politically-minded TikToks, the social media platform seems to deteriorate and intrude on the minds of future generations. TikTok often targets certain groups, especially young kids, that are more susceptible and easily swayed by content. Anyone with the app can view any topic, which open doors to controversial content, but most importantly, the vast array of raging, political views.

Whether the average TikTok user may realize it or not, those short increment videos that range from 15 to 60 seconds can have a large impact on perception and values. Especially during this past election, a large intake of political TikToks flooded young adults’ and children’s feed.

This affects the users because a large percentage of them are voters, and their votes are often persuaded by videos.

“Seeing political TikToks has educated me more on topics that need to be talked about more, like fast fashion or what’s happening at the borders, but I do not like where people are trying to force political views on others,” said junior Riley Ashville.

Rarely do TikToks spread political positivity, rather they often target groups and create turmoil or conflict.

“Seeing political matters on TikTok has made me more aware of what’s going on in the world and has opened my eyes to the problems people endure everyday,” said sophomore Caturah Tuggle.

Many TikToks demonstrate the issues with certain groups, such as the LGBTQ+, Black Lives Matter, or women’s rights movements; instead of providing solutions, they seem to promote violence or aggressive behavior. 

Some users need to restrain themselves from furthering the issue and limit their time on the app. Not only is TikTok deteriorating the minds of the future generations with hateful videos, but also with it’s addictive nature that keep people’s attention for hours on end. Statistics from “App Ape” and “Wallaroo” show that TikTok users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app.

“I know for a fact that I will think I have been on TikTok for about an hour, but then it usually ends up being around three, or if I can’t sleep at night, I go straight to TikTok,” said Riley.

The entire system of quick videos, shortens the attention span which is crucial to education and overall success in life itself. Therefore the younger generation should limit TikTok usage, especially during the school day, when they should be learning and keeping an open mind to new ideas. Bear in mind its effects on the brain and political views.