JAY JOSHI
Chinese video-making app Tik Tok is making quite a wave in India. The app was previously banned by the Madras High Court citing that it exposes children to disturbing content. However, the ban was later revoked. The app has also been in the news for deaths due to accidents while filming Tik Tok videos, and suicides due to cyberbullying by followers on the app.
The video-making app continues to remain popular in the country. While some hold the view that the app is indeed dangerous and needs to be banned, others state that it’s just a video-making app and banning is not the solution.
“Banning TIk Tok actually proved to be waste of time because the people who had already downloaded it could still use it” says Sobita Kudtarkar, a TIk Tok user from Porvorim. “Secondly, tools are just tools, and it is the way in which we use them that matters. Even various social media networking sites too have come under fire for misuse by the users, but then sites such as Instagram have found a way to regulate the content. I believe that on similar lines, TIk Tok needs better regulation.”
The app has been growing phenomenally, attracting more than 500 million active users, and the company that made the app, Bytedance, is today the world’s most valued startup. This success is attributed to a number of factors. The app was originally launched in China as ‘Douyin’ in 2016. A year later, expanding into global markets under the name ‘Tik Tok’, it absorbed an American app named Musically. This, combined with, massive advertising campaigns, and celebrities joining the hype to reach out to their fans has caused the app’s user-base to expand.
So, if it is a simple and popular video sharing app, where does the problem lie?
“The youth and teenagers who use such apps need help and education about how to use such apps”, says Nandita D’Souza, Director of Sethu Centre For Child Development and Family Guidance, Porvorim “ Kids at that age want to be noticed and appreciated, and they think such an app is a way to get that. Young people like to push boundaries and challenges such as a dare are very attractive and exciting for them.They tend to underplay the risks”, says D’ Souza. “Banning the app or telling them not to use it might make it even more attractive for them. So, it would be wise instead to have a discussion with them about safety issues while using such apps, explaining their downsides in detail.”
Joel Dais, a youth from Vasco speculates that there might be a different reason behind what prompts young users to develop a craze for such apps, and embark on dangerous stunts or take extreme steps. “I think it’s because today’s youth crave a sense of achievement, and do not have any responsibilities. If we were to contrast today’s youth with the youth of 1960-70 or 80s, we could say that the youth at that time had a lot of responsibilities and struggles. On one side, they could not afford to engage in the kind of things that we do today, but on the other side, they gained a sense of achievement simply by way of their tough life.”
Concerns have been raised about the app on security front by cyber experts too. Although Tik Tok provides parental controls, security experts state that Tik Tok is not recommended for users below the age of 16. It has drawn flack for its poor privacy settings, mature content, and the amount of information it acquires from the users including credit card details and location data. All things said and done, it remains to be seen whether its presence in the market is long-term or will it prove to be a fad with a limited lifespan.
What is Tik Tok
Tik Tok popular app for short, mobile-formatted videos, TikTok allows users to edit footage with a multitude of filters. From fast-forwarded footage to music overlays, The apps also showcases originality, allowing everyone and anyone to be a creator. TikTok users can record 15-second videos in the app and share them with followers via groups and general feeds. TikTok also allows users to react to friends’ videos. Spending by users to buy various filters within the TikTok app amounted to $3.5 million between October 2017 and October 2018
