Social Media

A Unique Way to Talk about TikTok with Your Child

Delaney Ruston, MD
July 16, 2024

I thank my daughter, Tessa, for this guest blog. She wrote it as the introduction to a paper for a college course this past Spring. The paper had to deal with screen time issues. 

Tessa discusses TikTok and, most importantly, links to 7 TikTok posts that came into her feed. 

When watched with your child, these clips provide a unique, and I would add an awesome, way to have a conversation about TikTok and related media without having to look directly at your child’s feed (if they have TikTok).

As opposed to looking at your teen’s feed with them, which can often cause them to feel defensive or irritated, this greatly decreases that from happening. 

Keep in mind that Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts, and Snapchat media all now provide short videos that are essentially the same as TikTok videos. (Are we the least bit surprised?)

After reading Tessa’s blog and the clips she shares, be sure to look at the “Questions to get the conversation started” at the end. I have created questions that accompany each of the TikTok videos.

*Of note, some of the TikToks mentioned have sensitive issues, so you may want to preview these quick 7 TikToks and decide which to share with your child. 

Here is Tessa’s post: 

As the seasons rapidly change, how I will spend my summer manifests in my mind.

I’m lying on a faded beach towel, the UV is a level eight, and my left hand holds a drink regulating my temperature through clanking ice cubes. My gaze stays glued to my right hand. I swipe up on TikTok. An 8-second video of Emma Chamberlain and Kendall Jenner mixing an Espresso Martini plays out. I swipe up again with no reaction. I don’t think I blink my eyes.

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A young woman with the “angel number” 111 floating on the screen recites my future month’s expected emotional experience. Swipe. One couple salsa dances to reggaeton. Swipe. A 6-second Matt Rife stand-up sketch on autism. Swipe. Alix Earle’s “get-ready-with-me”. Swipe. An 8-second flash of a young boy shot in Gaza. Swipe. Pookie and Jett’s “outfit of the day”. 

TikTok makes it difficult for us to discriminate between what is important and what is less important. TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and other short-form content feeds make it challenging for users to discern between types of information: trendy, fake, click-bait, cultural, politically incorrect, trivial, distressing, and capitalistic.

The rapid-fire succession of juxtaposing content numbs the human brain through a sort of sensory overload. The lines between entertainment, education, and serious issues become blurred. This can lead to desensitization or a lack of critical thinking about the content being consumed. I am curious about how that mental shift can carry over to other vital times when thorough, critical thinking is required.  

I eventually began to wonder to myself how short-form media content became so well curated and catchy that three hours have passed, and my barely sunscreened body has become lobster red. 

Reading non-fiction to understand the inner workings and motivations behind big-tech companies empowered me to critically rethink my actions towards my average of 150 habitual phone pick-ups per day. Four books published as recently as March 2024 are great choices to pick up instead of swiping up on TikTok this summer. 

Questions to get the conversation started with your family or group:

  1. These TikToks are from an account of a young woman in college. How similar or different are the TikToks (our YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, etc.) that come into your and your friends' feeds?
  2. The angel number 111, why is she advocating getting on one's phone first thing in the morning?
  3. What are our thoughts about the salsa dancing post?
  4. Regarding the Emma and Kendall video, what messages are happening regarding alcohol?
  5. What are our thoughts about the autism clip?
  6. In Alix Earle’s Get Ready With Me, what are the messages happening? What do we think of her dress?
  7. In Pookie and Jett’s “outfit of the day”.What types of messages around the importance of designer fashion, plastic surgery, and such are portrayed in this post? How many followers do they have?

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Social Media

A Unique Way to Talk about TikTok with Your Child

Delaney Ruston, MD
July 16, 2024

I thank my daughter, Tessa, for this guest blog. She wrote it as the introduction to a paper for a college course this past Spring. The paper had to deal with screen time issues. 

Tessa discusses TikTok and, most importantly, links to 7 TikTok posts that came into her feed. 

When watched with your child, these clips provide a unique, and I would add an awesome, way to have a conversation about TikTok and related media without having to look directly at your child’s feed (if they have TikTok).

As opposed to looking at your teen’s feed with them, which can often cause them to feel defensive or irritated, this greatly decreases that from happening. 

Keep in mind that Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts, and Snapchat media all now provide short videos that are essentially the same as TikTok videos. (Are we the least bit surprised?)

After reading Tessa’s blog and the clips she shares, be sure to look at the “Questions to get the conversation started” at the end. I have created questions that accompany each of the TikTok videos.

*Of note, some of the TikToks mentioned have sensitive issues, so you may want to preview these quick 7 TikToks and decide which to share with your child. 

Here is Tessa’s post: 

As the seasons rapidly change, how I will spend my summer manifests in my mind.

I’m lying on a faded beach towel, the UV is a level eight, and my left hand holds a drink regulating my temperature through clanking ice cubes. My gaze stays glued to my right hand. I swipe up on TikTok. An 8-second video of Emma Chamberlain and Kendall Jenner mixing an Espresso Martini plays out. I swipe up again with no reaction. I don’t think I blink my eyes.

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parenting in the screen age

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