TikTok screen time restrictions make sense

Users under 18 will benefit greatly from the app’s new time limit suggestion.

Opinion by Kevin Khachatryan, Staff Writer

TikTok has gone too far, with users scrolling on the app for hours. Children under 18 will be limited to an hour of use each day, but only for as long as it takes them to realize they can change the setting manually.

As great as TikTok can be for younger children and video creators who get paid for making videos, the scrolling and unsuitable videos for underage users can impact their personal lives. Teenagers spend too much of their daily lives on TikTok, as the average time spent grew to 91 minutes a day — which is up from 82 minutes in 2022. Social media apps like TikTok and Instagram have created mental health problems for students who use the app as an escape from daily stressors. The time restriction should be permanent and the settings should not allow a change in the limitation.

Photo courtesy of Nordskov Media/ Flickr

“I think this new restriction will help younger children’s mental health,” said Valley College cinematography major Alex Cubias.

When the 60-minute limit is reached, teens will be required to enter a passcode to continue watching videos on the social media app. Teenagers will still have the ability to opt out of the feature if they want, but TikTok will still prompt a limit if users spend more than 100 minutes on the app in one day.

As of February, 11 percent of TikTok users spent 5-10 hours every week on the app, and 60 percent of the users are between the ages of 16-24.

California’s Attorney Rob Bonta demanded for TikTok to comply with state investigations into its harm to children’s mental health. Bonta was concerned that the constant scrolling was devastating younger children’s mental health and even launched an investigation looking into the harm the app has on young users.

Bonta states that heavy use of social media is strongly associated with self-harm, depression and low self-esteem in teens.

In order for students to stay healthy, students can put their energy in other activities that are less likely to hurt their feelings. Physical activities or hanging out with friends can reduce stress for time spent studying and can reduce use of screen time.

It can be difficult to get away from the toxic trends on social media that brainwash children, but it is not impossible to wean off of TikTok.