Tik Tok shapes the youth of tomorrow
This is Katy Henry who is a sophomore Pre-IB at Cape Coral High School. She has recently been featured on the “For you Page” on Tik Tok. Her post gained 88.7 thousand likes as well as being shared 4,242 times.
‘Tik Tok’, formally known as ‘Musical.ly’, is re-taking over the globe as every teenagers’ favorite new social media for creativity, self-expression and for hours of addicting scroll-able entertainment. On the app, you can find a variety of content, ranging from amateur dancing, the latest bops, and even dads in short shorts doing the ‘Git Up Challenge’. Many of the latest trends or memes in 2019 can trace their origin to the app.
Although this may sound like just what our world needs at this moment, you might be surprised to hear that Tik Tok is earning a poor reputation in schools. Daniel Gross, AP World teacher at CCHS, has already had problems with his students using the app in the first couple weeks of school.
“Some students, like in every other class, try to use electronics. In class, I try to remind them that we are here to learn and that they will be stopped from using any electronic devices when they should not be using them,” said Gross.
Like plenty of other dilemmas that have happened in schools in the past, Tik Tok also seems to be a distraction for upper and underclassmen, girls and boys alike. “It is a generational problem with the electronics,” said Gross.
Nicole Bishop, a junior at CCHS, has witnessed this problem first hand in the school bathroom multiple times during school hours. “It’s so disturbing when I go to the bathroom; I just want to do what it’s meant for. I don’t want my eyes to witness children dancing inappropriately and singing and mouthing out foul language,” she said.
To the Tik Tok users, Bishop commented, “I feel like when these kids are working at McDonald’s when they’re thirty is enough punishment. School can only provide so much guidance for certain types of people; some will never learn.”
The app has caused so much of a commotion that even The New York Times has spoken about it. Allegedly, Tik Tok is additionally turning sour in the professional workplace; “TikTok has arrived at a time when mobile devices are far more integrated into our daily lives and in which sharing from one, wherever you are, is default behavior. It makes sense that for now, at least, it’s a portal to the vastness of American jobs. (Or, a few taps away, the Chinese job, the Indian job, or the Russian job),” wrote John Herrman.
Tik Tok has turned into an enjoyable but troublesome experience for Cape High freshmen who joined the Tik Tok craze the summer of last year. When a freshman was asked if they would quit their future job and move to California for Tik Tok like the many ‘influencers’ in our society, Leonis Gonzalez said, “No, I’d quit my job and move to California to become Tik Tok famous… I only have 11 followers.”
Whether or not the app is captivating or worth the hype can be up for debate, but there is an undeniable impact it is having on students’ lives across the country. During school hours students are supposed to be inside the classroom per school rules, paying attention and participating, but instead, they are posting 20-second videos on the internet. Tik Tok can continue to be a tool for imagination and individuality if it doesn’t completely destroy its reputation within the school system.
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