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US lawmakers vote 50-0 to force sale of TikTok despite angry calls from users (arstechnica.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 54 points 2 years ago (56 children)

Tik Tok pushes so much toxic content towards children and teenagers it should be shut down in my opinion.

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  • [–] 100 points 2 years ago (55 children)

    The can very easily apply to every single social media.

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  • [–] -5 points 2 years ago (54 children)

    Yes but unlike Facebook and other platforms, Tik Tok is aimed at and consumed by minors specifically.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Unlike? I think you mean they're JEALOUS of TikTok's appeal to minors...

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago* (2 children)

    What I mean is that Facebook for example is aimed at and consumed by older adults in the first place. Most young people in fact see it as a boomer platform.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    When I was a kid and Facebook was new, I remember everyone wanting an account. The way I see it, Facebook just kept those users who wanted it when it was new. Who's to say that the same won't be true of TikTok later?

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  • [–] -4 points 2 years ago (48 children)

    How?

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

    By design. Especially the format (short video clips) and the optimization for being used on phones (not computers) makes it attractive for kids.

    63% of Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 used TikTok on a weekly basis

    Report Estimates One-Third of TikTok Users Are Children Age 14 and Under

    TikTok reportedly has 18 million users who are 14 or younger, renewing concerns for children's safety

    A Third of TikTok’s U.S. Users May Be 14 or Under, Raising Safety Questions

    I tried googling, can’t find anything that supports these claims

    Seriously? it took me one google search to find an endless list of such articles. Also, did you not notice all the kids outside filming Tik Tok dances with their phones, it has been going on for many years now, how is it possible you did not notice it?

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    Kids using tiktok and tiktok specifically targeting children to use their platform are distinctly different. Just because kids use tiktok doesn't mean it's because they were lured there. Those metrics only identify that tiktok is popular among youth, which is not an indication of malice whatsoever.

    I appreciate your opinion, but short video clips on Mobile devices are nothing inherent to children. Now if tiktok was giving you pokemon for signing up or posting of their platform, then there'd be a valid argument that they're targeting children. (I feel like there was a pokeball collaboration with tiktok once, but I can't find a source to support it)

    Getting back to the original context - the argument that Tiktok should be shut down because "it's short videos on mobile platforms that's popular among teens" is lunacy. Everyone is throwing shade at me and not realizing how absurd their argument is.

    I'm not acting in bad faith either. I don't care about the fate of tiktok, but I'm seeing a trend of vilification without proper logical discourse. It's disconcerting to say the least.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    I respect your opinion and don't think you are arguing in bad faith. However, I think you are missing the central point. Which -in my opinion- is that a social media platform that turns out to have extremely negative effects on society and especially kids, should get shut down. If it happens with intent or without is not particularly relevant as far as I see it. I apologize if my initial comments were phrased in any misleading way, I am not a native speaker so I sometimes miss the finer nuances of certain formulations.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago

    No need to apologize, you're the first person to actually calmly and willingly discuss the topic without completely dismissing being disagreed with.

    I know you're not the originally comment I was replying to, but you conveniently moved the goal posts. The context of the entire conversation is whether TikTok specifically should be shut down because it targets children for it's own gain. You're now arguing that social media in general has negative impact on society and children, which I agree with, but is completely skewing the conversation and was, in no way, the central point of the discussion.

    So your opinion is that all social media platforms that deem to have negative affects on society should be shut down? Do you not see what's wrong with that? You're saying humans can't decide whether or not they want to use social media. You should understand how absolutely absurd that is - that is a completely dystopian totalitarian dictatorship idea. It sounds like a chapter in 1984.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (43 children)

    Advertising.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (42 children)

    Source? Examples?

    I tried googling, can't find anything that supports these claims

    Edit: third party advertisers abusing tiktoks advertising algorithms is not on topic to the original comment that tiktok itself specifically targets children, and tiktok has addressed these issues.

    You can downvote all you want, but I've still not been provided any proof that tiktok specifically targets or intends their platform to be for children.

    I'm not dismissing the original claim. I'm genuinely curious, but I need logical discourse, not users with mental illness going off on complete tangents.

    If you have any cognitive thought or opinionated source that tiktok is a bad faith actor towards the safety or health of children, I'd love to read it. My company builds software, so knowing the failings of tiktok to protect children is in my interest.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-instagram-tiktok-snapchat-children-advertising-2022-harvard-study/

    Should I keep finding relevant links for you or do you feel sufficiently foolish enough?

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    The comment was

    Yes but UNLIKE Facebook and other platforms, Tik Tok is aimed at and consumed by minors specifically.

    That study shows the opposite. YouTube benefited from minors over 2.5 times more than TikTok. And it shows every other platform is benefiting similar amounts. In fact, Snapchat has half the number of monthly users as tiktok but has almost identical ad revenue from minors. All the major social media platforms suck and are trying to take advantage of us, especially kids

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    I'm not arguing it's only tiktok. They all fucking suck. The question was how does TikTok benefit off children and the answer is advertising. That's a fact.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago*

    But the original comment you replied to (edit: not that you replied to, the comment you replied to was replying to a user saying that) WAS saying it's only, or at least primarily, Tiktok.

    I only commented because, especially among the reddit and fediverse demographic, there's a fervent dislike of TikTok specifically. I think some people have lost sight of the larger issue, that TikTok is a symptom and not the disease. But it's an easy target because of its early reputation as a dance app for younger users, its alleged ties to the CCP, and its popularity.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)
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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (5 children)
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  • [+] -7 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    This is about advertising to children within the platform and how tiktok intends to protect unethical advertising to children

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  • [–] -3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    I'm sorry you are getting downvoted, because technically you are right. TikTok will never claim to aim at children or advertise as such because they know they can't provide a safe environment and will open themselves up to lawsuits.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago*

    Tiktok's stance is rather meaningless because they'd never admit wrongdoing. I'm more curious how does tiktok target children with their platform? How do they lure them to it and why?

    Then the conversation becomes: What standards should social media platforms be accountable to?

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