You could say that about the entire internet!

TikTok is basically what you make it. In the last 12 months I’ve read numerous books related to mental health, gone to a therapist for $130/hr a bunch, and TikTok has honestly been at least as good as either of those. Probably better.

“Digital fentanyl” is such a ridiculous claim.

TikTok is the most likely channel along with other consumer apps for media to be used strategically against the U.S. and its vulnerable population. ByteDance currently has 3 apps in the top 10 in app downloads.

TikTok hypnotic allure is the perfect condition in the "user", for thought-experiments to take place by the CCP and the PLA. This includes alterting sentiment around Capitalism, democracy, and the United States itself.

The individualist, capitalist way of life in the west is damaging mental health. Tiktok is just a symptom, not the cause.

honestly you sound like all the boomers in the government. it’s an app. it just so happens to be popular. every other social media platform has tried to copy it without success. so why aren’t they on this list? you could argue reddit is worse. but it all sounds very anti china to me. crazy how patriotism is still a thing in 2023 lmao

Tiktok is the most powerful brainmelting weapon ever created.

Not just tiktok. All of social media with AI based recommendation algorithms.

The point here is TikTok is miles ahead of all the other platforms on optimizing algorithms, and these hyper optimized algorithms are harmful.

Reddit too

Reddit is a baby lizard compared to Gojira Tiktok to Say the least

This headline is trash, tiktok sucks but "digital fentanyl" is the most fearmongery bullshit I have ever read.

Tiktok should be banned, but not because it's "worse" than any other social media.

It should be banned because it's a direct tool for the Chinese Communist Party with proven direct links to the Chinese government as ByteDance has communist party members in their board of directors.

Is social media the new "video games are bad"? Before that it was tv, before that radio, chess, books and so on.

How about we actually parent our children instead of letting technology do it for us? Teach them the benefits of moderation, harmfull effects of too much social media, etc. Why do people look for everything and anything to blame bar themselves? You can argue all you want about how addictive it is but at the end of the day, its your failure as a parent if your kid actually ends up addicted to it.

They're just mad it's chinese, facebook, instagram, youtube, twitter, reddit all could be guilty of the same things as tiktok

That is the definition of social media, it influences you in a way you use it

Can't wait to see the new AI generated disinformation campaigns. Maybe this time they can help elect an actual orangutan.

Software that gives you rapid positive feedback to ideate negative and anxious behavior is going to reinforce the behavior. And being in a state of continual anxiety and pessimism is mental illness.

When you treat mental illness with therapy you do the exact opposite - positive reinforce avoiding negative ideation, and positively reinforce positive ideation.

Have seen people fiddle with depression meds and fail to reach resolution… but what worked was uninstalling Twitter, Insta and Tik Tok. One of my colleagues was borderline suicidal and got off of those repeated negative stimuli and is now very happy and on very limited meds.

The problem is the stuff that is paranoid about social issues and constant doom and gloom as well as social comparisons that make you feel bad. You’d avoid people like that IRL and yet people compulsively seek it online.

As a parent I’m never letting minor kids on those platforms, and I’ll tell any adult I know well to get off.

Digital fentanyl is absurd. But it’s really bad for you, especially if you are lower self esteem or are still maturing as a person (particularly 10-15, but under 30 in general)