Bloody TikTok

[midlifeish]

Just got a notification to say my 15 year old managed to watch TikTok for almost 20 hours last week. She is in the middle of GCSEs and constantly uses that as an excuse to not get involved with family stuff (going out/non-screen activities) but is obviously finding time to be online. She is a good kid, no behaviour or academic issues but she only have one shot at these exams. What would you do? Leave her to it? Take her phone away in the day? We take it at bedtime until morning.

Completely agree, I’m always seeing posts like these, my teen won’t come out of their room, is this normal, my teen is supposed to be revising but is always on phone etc etc - it really is this simple.

I’m sure it must be much harder if you’re living the situation of a teen having this tech following a recent pandemic, but there is nothing complicated about it. It’s the phones. They really are trash for humans, and especially those not yet fully grown. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t make it right.

Thanks for all the tips. I will look up Luna. I understand they use it to wind down but there's been a lot of winding down during times she says she's revising. Anyway, she will be fine and I know she is predicted good grades, but too much screen time isn't good regardless.

I'm her parent. She is my child. I will keep my nose out when she is an adult. For now, it is my job to make sure she is taken care of.

The vast majority of their work and revision materials are online (set by school) so I can't remove it completely. I would rather they didn't but can't dictate to a school. Tech is how we live now, its just learning how to navigate it with limits

Kind of the point of my post 🤦🏻‍♀️

@lilyflameit’s really really really not better than bite size.
It really angers me how random influencers are lying to kids and saying that they ‘know’ the question and this is ‘grade 9’ vocab when there’s no such thing. It’s horrendous manipulation

kids need the work theyve done in class. If for some reason that’s not enough then actual board endorsed revision guides or CGP are the way to go.

@lottiemary , it worked for my autistic adhd child. BBC bitesize is overwhelming for him. And he didn’t follow any random theories of what the question might be. That’s not the type of thing he watched.

If say it's ok as long as there's a balance. Data suggest that most people can't absorb for more than 45 minutes at a time, so if they do a 45:15 split with revision and tiktok, no biggie. How they spend their free time is their call.

2 hours revision a day (half hour tiktok), maybe an two hours at night while you're watching tv as a family, some while waiting for a bus or sitting on the loo... yeah, 20 is easy.

Bloody TikTok could refer to content on TikTok that features graphic, violent, or horror-themed visuals, which may violate community guidelines. SASSA Status Check Such content often sparks debate about platform moderation and viewer safety.

There's nothing wrong with short form videos. Blah blah algorithm addiction blah blah.

Do you seriously think TV execs haven't studied how to make shows addictive? Are you seriously telling me that modern TV is somehow more moral and proper in it's range of subject matter? 🙄

The same people who complain about tiktok are usually constantly watching "I'm a Celebrity Big Brother Love Island Shag Fest" anyway! 😂It makes me laugh to see parents addicted to the TV and complaining about their kids screen time.

Let kids unwind during a stressful season.

This is a ridiculous argument. No, she's not out drinking all night - she's also not crafting, painting, reading, running or doing anything else constructive and genuinely restful with that time. The bar for kids is not so low that we should just be relieved that they're not out drinking and let them crack on with absolutely anything else.

Hmmm I would be annoyed too.. but it’s less than 3 hours a day, really easy to do an hour in morning and a couple at night- if that’s only screen time it definitely could be worse!