More and more Generation Z content creators are flooding to TikTok due to boredom, in hopes of clinching their 15 seconds of fame. However, recent concerns have arisen over how young these TikTok content creators are, and the
appropriateness of their content.

 

TikTok is an app for creating and sharing short videos. The videos range from humorous memes to flashy new dances. It has gained immense popularity during the circuit breaker period and according to The Straits Times, it now has about 1.5 million downloads in Singapore.

 

To answer why TikTok suddenly became so popular, Karina Boenardi, TikTok Singapore's representative, said the app provides “amazing and interesting” content that engages people to enjoy and create.

 

Ashley Goh, 13, was first introduced to TikTok in October 2019. "It was just for fun at first," she said. Now, Ashley has over 273,100 likes on her account; her most popular video, the ‘asian check’, even has over 900,000 views.

 

Diana Ser, 16, another young content creator, said her most popular video, with 280,000 views, is just a video of her lip-syncing to the word 'Good Morning'. "Some people literally get clout doing absolutely nothing," she said. Thus, as long as they follow the trending topics on TikTok, they have a chance to go viral.

 

According to Ms Boenardi, TikTok's algorithm works based on what the user watches the most. "The chance for us to be on [the] 'For You Page' is really random," she said. The ‘For You Page’ curates popular videos and shows them to users who are interested in that specific type of content. She also recommends staying on top of TikTok trends.

 

To clinch a chance at TikTok fame, some younger content creators are posting videos on trends that might be inappropriate for their age. Those trends include sexual jokes, dark humour and dancing provocatively. When asked why they post such content, Diana said it’s because of how easily videos like that go viral. "When we get likes and views, it makes us happy that we are gaining recognition."

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YouTuber, Dee Kosh, has a series for shaming such TikToks. He reacts to the videos and gives his opinion. Ashley said, “I think we should be able to accept backlash on our videos because we chose to make them public, but sometimes his words are too harsh.”

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When asked if anyone had sent her inappropriate messages, Diana said, "I actually had a couple [of] unsolicited pictures slide in my direct messages but, I would say that it's something I can ignore."

 

Diana also added that although she does fear online harassment, most of the people she has met through the TikTok platform have all been extremely friendly to her, with no ill intentions.

 

Aside from inappropriate messages, Jovelle Ong, 12, a new TikTok creator, said that her main concern was “hate” and how “toxic” the platform has become as a result of online harassment. Kayle Kang, 13, also revealed her phone number got leaked previously, and privacy is one of her main concerns.

 

Regarding younger content creators, Ms Boenardi said she's not as concerned because it's their right to create any content they want.

 

So, how is TikTok protecting its younger content creators? Firstly, content creators can choose to mute certain words from being commented under their videos. For example, if they are insulted continuously for their physical appearance, they can mute the word 'Ugly'. That way, strangers would not be able to comment that specific word.