New Report Finds TikTok Can Cause Harmful Motor And Verbal Tics
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new report from the Wall Street Journal has found that doctors are continuing to see a rise in motor and verbal tics in teen girls. The cause? TikTok.
Starting in the spring of 2020, doctors around the world reported an increase in young girls with tics. After some digging, they discovered that these girls were watching the same TikToks of people who said they were suffering from Tourette’s Disorder.
The teen girls had not suddenly been afflicted with the disorder, however.
According to the WSJ, “Instead, they are functional neurological disorders, a class of afflictions that includes certain vocal tics and abnormal body movements that aren’t tied to an underlying disease.”
Many of these patients have recovered and no longer have motor and verbal tics, but doctors say they are continuing to see new girls come in with the same issue.
However, there is a link between those who have developed the tics. Doctors have hypothesized that the girls who started having tics had pre-existing mental health issues that would make them susceptible to other disorders.
TikTok has consulted with experts to see what can be done about this trend, but some say the problem is that the app is not providing adequate information for users.
“When people search TikTok for videos related to certain kinds of harmful content such as disordered eating, suicide and dangerous challenges, TikTok directs them to expert sources such as the National Eating Disorders Association and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,” the WSJ reported. “The platform doesn’t steer people to similarly authoritative sources when they search for videos about Tourette syndrome or tics.”
Doctors are still working to combat this disorder, with treatments like therapy and simply deleting TikTok.
“Fortunately, we have successfully helped many young patients and their families navigate through this challenging time,” Joseph McGuire, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University said. “Most of the youth with functional tics have benefited from behavioral strategies, with several now having very few tics due to their hard work.”
This is just the latest danger young people face while using the video app.
Movieguide® previously reported on the harmful content TikTok pushes on users:
The Wall Street Journal recently published a report that shed light on how the social media site TikTok exposes minors to pornographic content and drug usage through search algorithms.
The report, titled “How TikTok Serves Up Sex and Drug Videos to Minors,” conducted its experiment by creating fake accounts that represented users between 13 and 15 to observe what content the app emphasized.
“TikTok served one account registered as a 13-year-old at least 569 videos about drug use, references to cocaine and meth addiction, and promotional videos for online sales of drug products and paraphernalia. Hundreds of similar videos appeared in the feeds of the Journal’s other minor accounts,” the report found. “TikTok also showed the Journal’s teenage users more than 100 videos from accounts recommending paid pornography sites and sex shops. Thousands of others were from creators who labeled their content as for adults only.”
The Wall Street Journal sent 974 videos to TikTok, noting that adult videos and drug content were “served to the minor accounts — including hundreds shown to single accounts in quick succession.”
The Christian Post reported that of the 974 videos in question, 169 of them were removed before the newspaper sent the content to TikTok. TikTok removed an additional 255 videos after the report was published.
“An earlier video investigation by the Journal found that TikTok only needs one important piece of information to figure out what a user wants: the amount of time you linger over a piece of content. Every second you hesitate or re-watch, the app tracks you,” the report reads. “Through that one powerful signal, TikTok can learn your most hidden interests and emotions, and drive users of any age deep into rabbit holes of content—in which feeds are heavily dominated by videos about a specific topic or theme. It’s an experience that other social-media companies like YouTube have struggled to stop.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
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Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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