Over 700 million people use TikTok worldwide. There are 18 million 14-year-olds with accounts on the app in the US alone (over ⅓ of their users). Many have claimed that these young users are being exposed to disturbing content and comments from adult audiences.
One of the most famous TikTok creators is 16-year-old Charlie D’Amelio. She has garnered well over 100 million followers on the platform and it is not uncommon for her to get disturbing comments from adults almost twice her age. She is one of countless young creators to be sexualised and receive disturbing comments. There have been many cases of adults posting sexual comments and demands on teenagers’ TikToks. With the app enabling live streams and private chats, it poses a great danger to many kids on the platform.
Regardless of the type of content children make on the platform, there is no justification for sexualising them and commenting sexual remarks. Tiktok needs to make stricter regulations, especially for young teens and kids so as to not influence them with non-age-appropriate content and to keep pedophiles from commenting or contacting these children.
Should TikTok make a safer content option for teens younger than 18?
Written by Savannah Jamal
Artwork by Zara Masood
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