Comment on US lawmakers vote 50-0 to force sale of TikTok despite angry calls from users
Nacktmull@lemmy.world 2 months agoBy design. The format (short video clips) and the optimization for being used on phones (not computers) makes it attractive for kids.
[businessinsider.com/tiktok-children-users-data-pr…](TikTok reportedly has 18 million users who are 14 or younger, renewing concerns for children’s safety)
[www.nytimes.com/…/tiktok-underage-users-ftc.html](A Third of TikTok’s U.S. Users May Be 14 or Under, Raising Safety Questions)
[cnbc.com/…/tiktok-usage-topped-instagram-in-2021-…](63% of Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 used TikTok on a weekly basis)
[digitalmusicnews.com/…/tiktok-users-mostly-childr…](Report Estimates One-Third of TikTok Users Are Children Age 14 and Under)
Lulzagna@lemmy.world 2 months ago
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 identify that tiktok is popular.
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
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 did care about the date of tiktok, but I’m seeing a trend of vilification without proper logical discourse. It’s disconcerting to say the least.
Nacktmull@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I respect your opinion. 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 nuance of a formulation.
Lulzagna@lemmy.world 2 months 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.