We all know that TikTok is a popular social networking platform which everybody is currently using for fun and Entertainment but some are now suggesting that the platform can create potentially damaging diagnosis. See Below.
What are TikTok diagnosis videos and how are they affecting young people?
TikTok is filled with various types of content. You may have heard of Food-Tok, Fitness-Tok and Political-Tok, but have you visited the diagnosis side of the app?
Videos surrounding mental health and behaviour disorders continue to circulate online.
Some are created by young people talking about their diagnosis experience and others are shared by people claiming to be therapists.
This content often mentions signs which suggest symptoms of various conditions and encourages viewers to do their own self-evaluation.
The TikTok algorithm is a recommendation system that determines which videos will appear on your For You page.
Whenever a user likes a video, the TikTok algorithm will show other videos that use the same music or sound, meaning similar content will constantly show up.
Therefore, when people watch diagnosis videos, it is likely they will continue to feature on their personal For You page.
HOW IS THIS CONTENT AFFECTING YOUNG PEOPLE?
In a column for The Wall Street Journal, Julie Jargon explored the way teenagers are using the app to diagnose themselves with rare mental disorders.
Dr. Grant explained that being saturated with negative content can alter the brain’s chemistry, displacing feel-good neurotransmitters with stress hormones, according to Jargon’s reports.
To combat the issue, TikTok is reportedly implementing changes that could minimize streams of single-topic videos.