We have all been there—we are about to get into bed and we grab our phones and open a social media app. For many of us, TikTok has become an easy, mindless way to spend our free time.
Scrolling on the app brings us videos of influencers sharing life hacks, recipes, and funny dances. The more we scroll, the deeper we go into the "for you page." However, is it always healthy to do this every single day?
Created by a Chinese entrepreneur, the social media app has become one of the most widely used social media apps globally. With over 1 billion users on the app, it's safe to say they have one of the biggest user basis.
According to statistics, 22.32% of active social media users use TikTok on a regular basis. That means that they log in at least once or twice a day and use it for an extended period of time.
The algorithm that TikTok uses caters to the individual user. The more you watch a specific type of video or a content creator, the more that the app will show you similar videos and trends.
The more often we see things that we like, the more we are inclined to use the app so we can see more videos. However, researchers are now saying that the way in which we use TikTok can impact our brain in the long run.
Researchers who have been studying the app and this generation of users have seen that the "immediate gratification algorithm" can be hurting kids. Dr. Justin Shleifer, a child, and adolescent psychiatrist at Bradley Hospital stated that kids have "less of an attention span" due to these apps.
"I do worry that kids will have a harder time sitting down with a book if they’re so used to getting that immediate gratification, immediate reward from doing their TikTok scrolling," Shleifer said.
The videos are giving kids "small bursts of dopamine," in such a quick way that their brains are now rewired.
"The more that we get accustomed to the shorter and shorter bursts of dopamine, it makes it hard to appeal to kids and say hey, why don’t you sit down and watch a two-hour documentary about American history," he said.
Shleifer explains that dopamine is also connected to addiction. Many addicts crave what makes them happy and what releases the feel-good chemicals and hormones in their bodies—like these small TikTok videos.
According to reports, MRI scans from China actually showcased that when users watched videos that were interesting to them or aligned with their interests, the "addiction" part of their brain was actually activated.
For kids especially, experts suggest being "involved" in their app use and knowing what they are doing on the apps. Also limiting time spent on the apps can help kids in the long term.
Using social media is not going to immediately kill us, but using it too often can create bad habits and also hurt us in the long run. Limiting our time on social media can actually help us reconnect with ourselves and the real world, too.
