Glasgow’s TikTok Thoughts
May 20, 2021
By: Alisa Oden, Gayda Makki, and Lana Noredin
In the wide world of social media, TikTok is most definitely a controversial topic. In 2017, TikTok was launched after merging with Musical.ly and immediately gained popularity. In fact, it was so well-received that it actually ranked as the No.1 free app in Thailand and various other countries in 2018.
Of course, like any form of social media, TikTok certainly has its flaws- some of which led to its rather problematic and controversial reputation. With its wide variety of entertainment comes a wide variety of toxicity.
TikTok is now ranked the most downloaded app, with over 33 million downloads. It’s considered to be one of the most influential apps out there. However, not everyone has the same opinion about TikTok. What do you think?
In a survey given to Glasgow students, more than half said that they have TikTok. When asked about whether it was good or bad, the majority said it was “a little bit of both.”
8th grader Lydia Samual said, “I think it is damaging and it is not helpful in any way, because it is addictive, there is a lot of cussing, bad influence, and more. I don’t think that is how kids should grow up.”
“I think TikTok can be a nice place where you get support, but it’s also a very toxic place because if you don’t have the same opinion as the majority of TikTok, you’re going to get so much hate,” said Rania Seid, a 7th grader at Glasgow Middle School.
6th grader Caroline Allison said, “It can be nice for some parts, but for me, most of it is drama. I don’t have TikTok but I watch it on YouTube and at some point, I tried to keep up with the drama, but it was just too much for me.”
“Many people are addicted, but some TikToks may help us in our everyday lives, like life hacks,” said Diya Sharma, a 7th grader here at Glasgow.
Glasgow’s opinions on TikTok show that it’s not necessarily “only good” or “only bad”, but a mix of both. As said by some of our fellow peers, TikTok could be very addictive if you’re not careful about your time. A handful of people would argue that TikTok is somewhat disturbing and childish.
However, many other people have claimed that TikTok could be advantageous, depending on what content you consume. Just like with any other social media, it’s important to remember that not everything needs to be taken seriously on these platforms, and that there are both positive and negative aspects of everything. What are your thoughts on TikTok?
Sources:
Alisa Oden (she/her) is an 8th grader at Glasgow Middle School. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but has lived in Virginia for most of her life. She enjoys dancing, singing, theater, and playing the violin. Some of her hobbies include sewing and baking, but one of her favorite things to do is paint. She is very passionate about engineering and STEM. This is her third year writing for the Panther Post.
Eighth grader Gayda Makki is currently in her first year as a staff writer on the Panther Post. She’s from Sudan and grew up in Falls Church, Virginia. In her free time, she enjoys reading, taking long walks in the park, and house decorating. Her favorite sports are volleyball and basketball, and hopes to soon play them in high school. Gayda’s thrilled to be a member of the Panther Post for her first and last year at Glasgow Middle school. Her goal as a Panther Post staff writer is to use her voice to not only send her standpoint, but bring light to the many perspectives at the Glasgow community.
Lana Noredin is a 7th grader at Glasgow Middle school. Her family is originally from Sudan but her and all of her siblings were born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Falls Church, VA. Some of her talents are drawing, painting, and rollerskating. Some things she likes to do for fun are play video games, watch anime, read, and listen to music. Some of her favorite artists are Mother Mother, Beach Bunny, Cavetown, Arctic Monkeys, Babymetal, and Jack Stauber. She had two cats, but one passed away unfortunately. Although she can roller skate, she can’t ice skate or knows how to ride a skateboard.
