How TikTok is Ruining an Entire Generation’s Mental Health
Over the past decade, social media has become a core part of our lives. Gen Z has grown up surrounded by social media, never truly experiencing life without it. In 2016, the viral app, TikTok, was launched. From that point, it rapidly gained popularity. If you don’t know, TikTok is a continuous loop of short, entertaining videos, ranging from choreographed dances to rehearsed comedy skits. The content on this platform has an extremely wide range, which is partly why it’s so addicting.
Before we dive into the negative effects of TikTok on mental health, it’s necessary to touch on the benefits of this platform. TikTok is the most accessible creative outlet, allowing anyone to go viral. Because of this, it is really easy for creators to share their art to a broad audience. Once a creator appears on your “For You Page” (FYP), depending on your interaction with the video, they will likely appear again. This algorithm has helped a lot of small businesses and self-employed creators gain popularity and support. On a smaller scale, independent creators that aren’t looking for any monetary compensation are still able to go viral and get appreciated for their art, forming communities where they feel seen. This is one of the most positive aspects of TikTok, adding an overall sense of community to the platform.
Although there are benefits to the platform, we at The Edge believe the negative aspects outweigh the positives. Gen Z has formed an obsession with self-deprecating humor, and it’s taking a toll on everyone’s mental health. We love watching others make fun of themselves, because it ultimately makes us feel better. While scrolling through the app, we see the most viral videos are normally some sort of self-deprecating humor. The TikTok algorithm makes self-deprecating videos go viral, causing our FYP’s to be filled with negativity. It is common to justify self-deprecating humor by calling it a coping mechanism. But ultimately making fun of our own insecurities or personality only furthers our self-hatred. These self-deprecating jokes are functioning as cover-ups for our larger personal issues.
Insecurity has additionally led to criticism of our own physical appearances. During quarantine, the “stargazing trend” became popular. In these videos, users would lay down horizontally and look upwards while the camera filmed their side profile. This trend quickly became a comparison of side profiles, and led to users criticizing others about the sharpness of their jawline. This caused people to develop insecurities in things they had never thought of before.
TikTok is designed to be addicting, but we at The Edge believe it's worth taking a break from. Although it can be a way to develop a sense of community, the platform is ultimately negatively impacting everyone’s mental health. Self-deprecating humor is harmful to everyone, strongly affecting people with already low self-esteem or other mental health issues. This can be especially dangerous for marginalized communities who are already brought down by society. Adding unnecessary insecurity to your life is only negatively impacting your mental state. We aren’t telling you to immediately delete the app from your phone, but it’s important to be mindful of the content you are creating, as well as what content you are consuming, for the benefit of your mental health.