Students Report that TikTok Sparks Addiction Amongst Gen Z

| This is a photo of teens lost in their phones on TikTok as life goes by | Teens have wasted their time while having scrolled endlessly on TikTok | Photo Courtesy of Enaya Bokhari |

Those who own a phone or any other cellular device of their own, might say that TikTok may be one of their most used apps. This is especially true amongst today’s youth, Generation Z, as the app’s latest trends and content are mostly created and dominated by children, teens, and young adults.

Although TikTok is a vast platform where individuals can create whatever content they feel like and participate in numerous trends, many individuals, including Gen Z, have agreed that our youth’s habit of endlessly scrolling can have deteriorating effects. Many have said it decreases rates of productivity and increases rates of laziness as well as contributing to a shortened attention span in general. 

“A psychologist said the personalized algorithm on TikTok may be leading young people to get addicted,” a study by BBC News stated. “Dr Nia Williams, of Bangor University, said TikTok becomes addictive because it releases dopamine into the brain, making you feel good.” 

TikTok’s personalized feed and endless flow of videos and other content feed the bored minds of teens and children, so much so that our youth face a constant issue regarding overuse and not knowing how to limit app usage. Some even invest their time in interacting with online activism and discourse relating to real world social issues, and while those partaking in such activities believe they’re being productive towards the issue, the opposite seems to be true in most cases.

“I think that TikTok plays a part in cancel culture because people are looking to ‘cancel’ or seek faults in others more so now than ever,” sophomore Ella Vandergrift said. “Due to it being so widespread in the media, I think people feel the need to cancel people for entertainment in the media, or at school, etc. because in a way, it makes them feel like they’re making a difference.”  

| Group of friends are lost in their phones on TikTok | Teens have spent their time addictively scrolling on TikTok instead of spending time with friends | Photo Courtesy of Enaya Bokhari

Although its purpose was to be a fun and randomized platform for anyone to create whatever content they feel like, the online discourse that is present takes one’s energy away from actual productive activities. Some just open the app to cure boredom and get a temporary dopamine boost, but this also ends up taking one’s energy and time from actual productive activities.

“Recently. I’ve been lacking motivation to do work and work on my books so it’s like I’ve wasted my time. When I lack this motivation, I just immediately think about scrolling on Tiktok, and then I begin procrastinating which only further ruins the situation,” sophomore Zahra Maazouz said. “TikTok makes you waste your time because  you start scrolling and oftentimes you just don’t stop at all, and these videos are messing with our brains [by] bringing random content. Social media should be teaching us about the world instead of [making] this an unproductive and addictive place.”

It isn’t only researchers or professionals who have looked, and are looking, into the real reasons behind why our generation faces such an addition to scrolling for hours on TikTok. Young teens, including those at Champe, have explained why we may face issues of chronic overuse of the app. 

“I think that the reason that our youth is so addicted to TikTok is because you can see a lot of different content in a short period of time,” sophomore Nisha Bagga said. “Another reason as to why our youth is so addicted to TikTok is because each person’s For you page is personalized to them and what type of things they like to watch. It’s sort of like a dopamine boost for each video.” 

| Student distracted by TikTok as their productivity in school crashes | Student became addicted to TikTok and wasted time instead of using time wisely | Photo Courtesy of Enaya Bokhari

For many, TikTok plays as a major stress reliever, but as our youth craves more and more of this cycle of temporary dopamine through each video, it plagues the productivity and performance of young children and teens, becoming a stress builder instead of a stress reliever.

“I think that the app’s algorithm has made it into an escape for people, and people recognize it as something to do when they’re bored because scrolling can be addicting,” Vandergrift said. “This includes our generation as we are becoming more and more reliant on constant entertainment, and tiktok does that. The videos are short, and your attention doesn’t need to be fully on the video. All of this is what makes it so easy to spend hours on it.”