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I recently spoke with an older brother of a young man, about 13, who is heavily addicted to TikTok. His brother told me that he has been skipping school to stay

I recently spoke with an older brother of a young man, about 13, who is heavily addicted to TikTok. His brother told me that he has been skipping school to stay on his phone, and that when his phone is taken away, he flies into a screaming rage, and runs down the street barefoot.

SiempreViernes 6y ago
Does he get very far?
- forgotmypw17 6y ago
  Probably not... I think he comes back pretty quick. It's cold outside in these parts, and he's still just a kid throwing a temper tantrum, after all. I didn't get many details, was only a short chat. I was shocked by the story though. I don't recall being nearly as attached to anything as a kid.
seph-reed 6y ago
Strangely enough, it's my friends who can't seem to have a good time without drugs who've told me how great tik tok is. In response, I shared some medium form (10-20 min) educational video essays on YouTube about whatever I thought they'd be most interested in as an example of media I trust. I could tell my friend understood the difference, but also was never going to admit his tik tok feed wasn't just as productive.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
sva_ 6y ago
I don't know, but don't you think perhaps there's a reason other than being addicted to an app that makes said younger brother want to be hooked to his phone all day, avoiding things like school? Perhaps it's just an avenue to escape something.
- forgotmypw17 6y ago
  Sure, I think it is possible. I do not know the situation very well. It is not the first such case I know, however. My friend's young 4-5-year-old, for example, the child of two model parents, has had similar behavior. Her screen time is very limited, but once there is a smartphone or a tablet in sight, she's inconsolable. She does not use anything like TikTok, just watches some parent-curated videos.
- kermire 6y ago
  I really like this comment. Very rarely do people understand that there are reasons for people seeking escape. All addictions seem to be a way to deal with some issue they are facing. If the root cause is fixed, the problem should be solved. People would rather blame technology rather than understand human beings. It's an easier route to take.
  - xg15 6y ago
    Might be, but nevertheless technology makes those problems worse and is optimised to exploit individuals who are already vulnerable. As another example, many F2P mobile games have the concept of "whales", individual players who invest absolutely unwarranted amounts of money into a game. Is this healthy player behaviour? Of course not and no game dev would say it is. Is there a majority of players who manage to play in a healthy way? Usually there is. Nevertheless, a significant part of funding for those games comes from the few whales, so the game only works as a business because some players get addicted to it.

SiempreViernes 6y ago

Does he get very far?

forgotmypw17 6y ago
Probably not... I think he comes back pretty quick. It's cold outside in these parts, and he's still just a kid throwing a temper tantrum, after all. I didn't get many details, was only a short chat. I was shocked by the story though. I don't recall being nearly as attached to anything as a kid.

seph-reed 6y ago

Strangely enough, it's my friends who can't seem to have a good time without drugs who've told me how great tik tok is. In response, I shared some medium form (10-20 min) educational video essays on YouTube about whatever I thought they'd be most interested in as an example of media I trust. I could tell my friend understood the difference, but also was never going to admit his tik tok feed wasn't just as productive.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

sva_ 6y ago

I don't know, but don't you think perhaps there's a reason other than being addicted to an app that makes said younger brother want to be hooked to his phone all day, avoiding things like school? Perhaps it's just an avenue to escape something.

forgotmypw17 6y ago
Sure, I think it is possible. I do not know the situation very well. It is not the first such case I know, however. My friend's young 4-5-year-old, for example, the child of two model parents, has had similar behavior. Her screen time is very limited, but once there is a smartphone or a tablet in sight, she's inconsolable. She does not use anything like TikTok, just watches some parent-curated videos.
kermire 6y ago
I really like this comment. Very rarely do people understand that there are reasons for people seeking escape. All addictions seem to be a way to deal with some issue they are facing. If the root cause is fixed, the problem should be solved. People would rather blame technology rather than understand human beings. It's an easier route to take.
- xg15 6y ago
  Might be, but nevertheless technology makes those problems worse and is optimised to exploit individuals who are already vulnerable. As another example, many F2P mobile games have the concept of "whales", individual players who invest absolutely unwarranted amounts of money into a game. Is this healthy player behaviour? Of course not and no game dev would say it is. Is there a majority of players who manage to play in a healthy way? Usually there is. Nevertheless, a significant part of funding for those games comes from the few whales, so the game only works as a business because some players get addicted to it.