TikTok Challenged: What to Do If You’re Worried that Your Teen Will Go Too Far

TikTok has become a huge social media trend over the last few years – especially throughout the pandemic.  

While it’s a platform open to all ages, it’s especially popular with teens. 

As with any other social media app, there are pros and cons to consider. But, what makes TikTok so different is that all of the content is video-based. 

Now, with TikTok challenges and trends raising eyebrows across the country, teenagers are putting themselves in compromising,  and even dangerous situations just to gain more followers or impress their friends.

So,  what to do if you’re worried your teen will go too far?

Learn More About the Platform

The best way to talk to your teen about TikTok is to familiarize yourself with it. Download the app and do a bit of research from other sites. Learn the latest trends and what other teenagers are doing on the platform to get attention. 

From there, you can find your teen’s username and profile. 

The more you learn about the kinds of things they’re posting and sharing, the better insight you’ll have into how they’re using the app.

Talk to Your Teen

Whether you see anything concerning on your teen’s TikTok or not, talking to them about potential risks and dangers is important. 

For a teenager, a social media app might feel like a “safe space.” There may be a perceived notion of freedom of privacy. Plus, all of their friends are on social media, aren’t they? And if everyone else is doing it,  it has to be okay, right? 

(You know the answer to that question.)

Pull up news stories for your teen about kids their age who have experienced some kind of trouble due to the app. Some have found themselves in legal trouble.  Others have been victims of emotional or sexual abuse. It doesn’t take much digging to see there are huge problems within this app. That doesn’t mean it’s all bad. But, there are things to be aware of. 

Make them aware of everything from cyberbullying to sexual predators. They might roll their eyes, at first.  But, you would be surprised at what teens really take in and what they remember when they’re in compromising situations. They should be allowed to feel safe on that app, but that requires being smart about how they use it. 

Set Boundaries

Talking isn’t always enough when it comes to keeping your family safe. Setting rules and boundaries for how your teen uses their phone and specific apps can be what makes the biggest difference. 

Will they always be happy about it? No. Can you have peace of mind knowing you’re doing your part to protect them?  Absolutely. 

If you want to keep your teen as safe as much as possible on TikTok, the best thing you can have them do is make their account private. This prevents anyone from searching for them or following them that they don’t know. It’s a way to make sure the things they post are only viewed by friends.  

You can periodically check their privacy settings to make sure their account stays private and isn’t available for random people to search. 

Another great way to keep them safe is to monitor their account, yourself. Look at what they’re posting and sharing. You don’t need to look at account monitoring as a punishment or control strategy- knowing what is happening also gives you and your teen an opportunity to connect and talk about stuff besides the usual homework/room cleaning/curfew exchanges. If you see something you feel is inappropriate, talk to them about it and ask them to take the post down. 

You might be met with a clashing opinion when it comes to rules about TikTok. But, by informing yourself, setting boundaries, and monitoring your teen’s activity on the app, you can keep them safe and help them to make smarter choices about what they do on social media.  

Like all social media sites, TikTok can be fun and entertaining when it’s used safely. It’s important to make sure your teen knows how to do that. Does your teen need some extra support? Teen counseling might be the solution. If you feel you could use more support too, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Photo by Marjan Grabowski on Unsplash