The algorithm for the Chinese-owned #TikTok app makes it easier for #teens to go viral and gain internet fame, especially with sexualized videos. But the downside of posting racy videos to #socialmedia is the toll taken on teens’ #mentalhealth, according to #mentalhealthprofessionals.
To the dismay of many, the Chinese-owned #socialmedia app #TikTok has become the preferred platform amongst #teens today.
But unlike other #socialmedia platforms — such as #Facebook, #Instagram, #YouTube, and #Twitter — going viral on #TikTok and becoming “#TikTok famous” is much easier and quicker, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
#TikTok weighs whether viewers show strong interest in a particular type of content — measured by whether they finish watching videos — the company says. The app’s recommendation engine then chooses videos to send to viewers, regardless of the creator’s follower count or past video virality.
Given that #TikTok users appear to take more of an interest in sexual or risqué content, #teens have realized that the more sexual their videos are, the more likely they are to get likes or go viral, #mentalhealthprofessionals say.
“Many of them have figured out that the formula for that is producing more sexual content,” said Carter Barnhart, co-founder of Charlie Health, a virtual #mentalhealthcareprovider.
#James Donaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
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Barnhart added that a growing number of #teens she treats report their #self-esteem is dependent on how many likes they get on #TikTok.
Jula Anderson, for example, joined #TikTok when she was 16. Her first video featuring her family’s home renovations only got five likes. But when she saw that other users were posting more suggestive content, she tried it, too.
“I wanted to get famous on #TikTok, and I learned that if you post stuff showing your body, people will start liking it,” Anderson, now an 18-year-old high #school #student, told the Wall Street Journal.
A few months later, the teen’s wish came true, as a video of her wearing a tight-fitting tank top while lip-syncing to “Sunday Best” by Surfaces went viral, the newspaper reports.
#TikTok’s algorithm had pushed the video to viewers’ “For You” pages, which resulted in more than one million people viewing the content, and nearly 500,000 people liking it.
Anderson’s #TikTok following then went from a few hundred users to more than 200,000. The comment section of the teen’s video was then inundated with #boys and #men saying how hot she looked. Inspired by the success, Anderson made her videos more risqué.
“I’d wear clothes that I wouldn’t wear to #school but that I felt good in,” she said. “I didn’t view them as that sexual, but other people did.”
The #teen then found herself constantly checking her #TikTok likes, saying, “It was my whole world.”
When Anderson’s #parents later discovered their #teenage daughter’s suggestive video content on #TikTok, they confronted her about it, to which Anderson said, “Mom, that’s what everyone is doing,” according to the teen’s mother, Shauna.
The teen’s mother, in part, blamed the #isolation stemming from the Chinese #coronavirus, which she says intensified her daughter’s need to find connection with others.
“She thought this was a way to be liked and have friends,” Shauna said.
#Mentalhealthprofessionals say they are concerned about how #teen #girls will be affected by posting sexualized content on #TikTok, and that young #girls are oftentimes anxious and overwhelmed by the attention they get after posting suggestive videos.
“For a young #girl who’s developing her identity, to be swept up into a sexual world like that is hugely destructive,” said Paul Sunseri, a #psychologist and director of the New Horizons Child and Family Institute in California.
Last year, Anderson began receiving treatment at the New Horizons Child and Family Institute for #anxiety and #depression.
“When #teen #girls are rewarded for their sexuality, they come to believe that their value is in how they look,” Sunseri said.
Sunseri added that roughly a quarter of the #female #patients at his clinic have produced sexualized content on #TikTok.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
[email protected]
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at [email protected] and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
