… Safe to say, I went with the latter option: A deep dive on the mental health of Gen Z, and how Tik Tok plays a role.
So let’s Get Into It (yuh).
As a millennial who sometimes uses TikTok as a creative outlet, and for an instant (virtual) hit of dopamine, I find it easy to scroll mindlessly on the social media app that might even know me better than I know myself. The carefully targeted algorithm never ceases to entertain in times of precarious living, and fulfill my innate sense of curiosity with the latest and greatest beauty + lifestyle hacks, #whatieatinaday cooking vlogs, puppy videos, and funny content.
Before I know it, I often find that I’ve exhausted my mental space and have fallen victim to doomscrolling.
State attorneys have recently formed a bipartisan coalition to investigate the effects of mental health on younger users - For additional context, feel free to view the press release issued just one day ago. In particular, I think of younger users who may be prone to body image issues, spiraling into unhealthy habits, disordered eating, and self-harm, or in general, teens who are easily influenced and triggered by unregulated content. Last September, Meta had abandoned plans to launch a version of Instagram specifically for children under the age of 13, following severe pushback from the same (43) attorney generals.
Sorry, a version of Instagram for children under 13? I was attempting to keep my Tamagotchi alive, ding dong ditching, and downloading songs illegally off of Limewire at that age.
On Tuesday, Biden also made remarks on this matter during his State of the Union address, stating, “We must hold social media accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit.”
I’m a bit torn because without a doubt, social media continues to be an optimal and authentic way to market to Gen Z; in fact my day job heavily revolves around social media marketing. On the other hand, I do anticipate seeing new safety and privacy measures the social media giant plans to implement in an attempt to regulate the app, and protect younger users who are at risk of self-harm.
We’ve got the world in our hands and literally, at our fingertips. The joys, and sorrows, that come along with that.