To think Tik Tok should be shut down

[ohsuzannah]

After reading about the James Bulger clips posted on Tik Tok I felt so angry, and sorry for James' parents.

I've always hated Tik Tok anyway, but it seems that nothing is sacred if they get the views that they want 😡

news.sky.com/story/tiktok-must-apologise-to-james-bulgers-family-over-harrowing-ai-clips-of-murdered-boy-12930096

I have always felt this way about TikTok. I never even bothered to create an account. I see people getting dumber and dumber and dumber because of it.

I love tik tok. It is all plants, interiors, cooking and books. There is always problematic stuff on any platform.

You know the MP who ranted about porn ads popping up on his web pages? And how they should be banned - until it was gently or not so gently pointed out how as re targeting works?

If your experience of TikTok is horrendous is because you are watching/interacting with those horrendous videos - so the algorithm gives your more of the same. It's how algorithms work.

My TikTok is based on what I've searched for/interacted with/watched/people I've followed. So it's horses, animal rescue, dogs, cooking and travel tips. As are the lives - because they are from people I follow.

Takes less than a day to train the algorithm to what you like.

I'm not saying TikTok is a good or bad thing - that's a massive debate but it's worth really using it first before getting into it. (The debate).)

I agree. It should be banned.

I enjoy it. My feed is mainly cooking, crochet, easy make up, easy hair dos and tips and trick, and general knowledge.

I have learnt a huge amount of daily life in different cultures from the app. I have never come across any questionable content.

I knew nothing about these clips

You are just boosting views surely?

My tiktok is 90% Pedro Pascal because the algorithm is very effective (and I'm also slightly manipulating it).

Almost one of the simplest ways to reduce crime, it is the best educator for criminals there is.

So I'd be happy for it to be closed down.

So TT should be shut down because ONE person created what you perceive to be inappropriate. Yeah that's how it works 🙄

My TT feed is all house renovations, storage suggestions, funny baby videos, Taylor Swift clips & Andre Rieu at the moment.

TT is no worse than any other platform.

Isn’t it banned in India?

I agree, the so called "pranks" are totally disgusting!

AI technology is going to scary places. Awful content is not limited to TikTok but it gets a bad rep as it's got proportionally more young people on it.

My FYP page is just how I like it- recipes, new products at Aldi, funny pets and babies... Never seen Only Fans sort of content because I don't watch porn on my phone never mind on TikTok. The algorithms are designed to keep your attention as long as possible and it is clever enough to suggest stuff that I haven't thought about in years like clips from Desperate Housewives.

Brrrrrr
In my opinion it’s a platform which was created with the intention to slowly destabilise social constructs in the West

this ^
I agree it is dangerous and also very addictive for the teens and young people in my orbit.

It's amazing how so many people actually trust the Chinese government and download their apps onto their devices and buy their crap so they can harvest personal details. Tiktok is a big part of this.

its a case of like all the social media watching what you want but the trouble is monitoring what children watch

We have very similar feeds. There are some amazing DIYers renovating houses and turning IKEA furniture into something better. I'm not a Swiftie but I'm getting lots of wholesome content by people attending Eras concert (even if they are outside the stadium)

It definitely needs more monitoring. When I first looked at tiktok all I kept seeing was lorry drivers filming themselves on lives and answering questions while driving on the motorway! Bloody scary. I always reported them and TikTok did nothing. Now my account it full of people cooking, history, and music.

I think the people that say, oh it’s fine I just look at recipes and cat videos… are massively missing the point. A great many people don’t use it like that and it clearly has lots of pretty toxic material.

You can get all those recipes and cat videos from YouTube and YouTube shorts. But there is at least some form of moderation on YT, and if be surprised if the video the Op talks about was available there.

Also I understand that by signing up, you’re basically giving free access to all sorts of data on your phone, which then gets sold off and distributed to, well pretty much everywhere.

Ban it I say. I certainly won’t let ds anywhere near it.

This.

Every platform should be able to block certain material before it's published.

I prefer TikTok to instagram, on instagram everyone wants to be perfect and it’s full of people advertising.

I thought TikTok was Chinese, but banned in China?
My kids (teens) aren't allowed it, or Snapchat or insta, or any social media....they seem to survive okay without it. Actually they've both said me saying 'no' makes their lives much easier, because they can moan about how awful and controlling I am and not lose face with their mates😂

Social media is so personalised that most people have no idea of the damaging material being pushed at their children. There is a good story on this here; A social media murder: Olly’s story - BBC News

It works on algorithms; if you’re seeing nasty stuff then it’s because it thinks you like it - you’re telling us more about yourself than you think really

My thoughts exactly. Just didn't want to say it

YouTube has a history of awful content and content creators too. Content that is taken down is often due to internet pressure rather than YouTube banning it. I have seen accusations of it profiting from hate as it allows extreme conspiracy videos.

Using the internet in a way that you only get the nice content is a legitimate way to deal with things imo. Free speech and the Internet can't be tamed but I can make sure that my choices don't allow sick people to make money. I am lucky that my kids are old because the job of keeping kids safe on the Internet gets even harder when new platforms are created and there's jumps in technology like AI.