SOS Children's Villages warns

Trendy, but also toxic: the dangers of TikTok

The TikTok platform is very popular with young people. Recently, videos showing young people fighting in Trieste based on the movie "Fight Club" caused a stir.

(Bild: Simone - stock.adobe.com)

The video platform TikTok is very popular with young people. However, the SOS Children's Villages sees risks.

The videos on the TikTok platform often last less than a minute. The selection of videos is almost endless and they are constantly suggested by an algorithm. Users therefore sometimes spend hours watching dozens of short clips. The platform is particularly popular with children and young people.

Summer videos and tests of courage
However, SOS Children's Villages Burgenland warns of the risks involved. The suggested clips range from a funny summer video between sunflowers and a swimming lake, to cool picnic tips and daring tests of courage in front of the camera with serious injuries and deaths, sources of radicalization and sexual harassment. "TikTok is one of the most popular apps among young people. It allows them to create and share short videos, combined with music, filters and special effects," says Petra Katzenschläger, Head of Education at SOS Children's Villages Burgenland.

Clear rules
However, a certain level of competence is necessary in order to be able to use it responsibly and critically. Even if children are often superior to their parents online, they still need support. "For example, they need to learn to assess whether certain sources are credible or that certain information should not be passed on." Among other things, rules are needed. Children should be encouraged to say "no" if their privacy is violated. "It is also important to teach children that it was not their fault if they were sexually harassed, for example," says Katzenschläger.

The internet as a "hiding place"
Children are often unable to assess how much they can disclose, says child and youth advocate Christian Reumann. He does not want to pin possible dangers on TikTok alone. There are a large number of online services and platforms used by young people. The intentions of the communication partners are also always clearly recognizable. It is easy to "hide" on the internet.

High number of unreported cases
For example, online bullying can occur. In most cases, however, this is just an extension of the bullying that happens in the classroom. Or there is blackmail with intimate photos when a relationship ends. This is also relevant under criminal law, especially if the victims are minors. Reumann estimates that most of those affected are around 15 years old. It is not possible to say for sure how many cases there are. "Many don't say anything at first, only when things get serious do the cases become known."

What ends up on the net stays on the net
The Ombuds Office for Children and Young People helps in such situations and refers people to the right authorities such as the police and the Safer Internet organization. However, Reumann is realistic. In most cases, only damage limitation is possible. Once something has ended up on the Internet, it never disappears completely. Katzenschläger also warns: "It must be made clear that everything that is published can hardly be deleted from the internet."