According to a survey, 63% of Americans ages 12-17 use TikTok on a weekly basis. We have highlighted many dangers and pitfalls of TikTok for young people before. In the last two years, we have seen mental illnesses skyrocket. Often, this is attributed to isolation and loneliness since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many psychologists are warning that this increase could be in part due to TikTok.
Extremely rare psychological conditions, such as dissociative personality disorder, have increased substantially in number. Doctors believe that this uptick can be traced back to TikTok. Videos with the hashtag #dissociativepersonalitydisorder have been viewed over 600 million times, according to Wall Street Journal. These videos pose a serious obstacle to mental health diagnosis and treatment as doctors must discern whether symptoms are manufactured or genuine. The most important thing that parents can do to combat this is utilize parental controls and monitor their children's "For You Page."
To learn more about the TikTok mental health crisis, you can read this Wall Street Journal article.