TikTok, housebound teenagers turn to online video
Print Edition
Millions of US teenagers shut up in their homes and receiving their education online are turning for moral support and comic relief to each other 鈥 via immensely popular video-sharing apps like TikTok.
The social media platform, owned by China鈥檚 ByteDance, is an outlet for high schoolers to share their stories. In 2019, TikTok said it had over 26 million monthly active users in the United States, over half of whom were between 16 and 24.
Users post videos that can last up to 60 seconds, appearing on phones in fast-paced feeds. While many TikToks tend to be lighthearted 鈥 dancing or lip syncing to trending songs is a common theme 鈥 they can also deal with more serious issues.
Some users say that the app, and others like it, such as Snapchat 鈥 lets them know other people are going through the same things they are and relax and laugh about it. The coronavirus and forced school vacation 鈥 labelled the 鈥渃oronacation鈥 鈥 is the biggest trending topic on TikTok.
鈥淗ow the class of 2020 is gonna graduate,鈥 jokes user @dannyrvbio, over a video showing an emoji of a student walking across a digital stage.
In another popular TikTok captioned 鈥淢e pretending my screen froze bc I didn鈥檛 do my project for my online class,鈥 user @zizzysizzle stutters as if she is having connection problems during a pretend video explanation to her teacher on the 1930s stock market crash.
Others advise on how to entertain yourself during quarantine, or how to stay safe. The World Health Organization has its own @who TikTok, with its experts explaining the virus and how it can affect young people in short clips.
鈥淭ikTok has really helped me get through these weeks,鈥 said 17-year-old Alison Kenny, a high schooler in New York.
鈥淚t鈥檚 frustrating to be stuck and feel trapped... it鈥檚 nice to know you aren鈥檛 alone and people are struggling just as much as you.鈥
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