By Maria Famakinwa

One of the most used social media applications today is TikTok. Created by Bytedance, a Chinese multinational internet technology company headquartered in Beijing, it was introduced in 2017. Every day, millions of users, mostly youths, log on to the site. It is a social media application in which users can create 15 to 60 seconds of short clip sync, comedy, acting, and talent videos with the available background music.The platform’s users generate millions of moments and post several videos every minute.

Although the social platform keeps users busy and entertained with many making huge money from contents created after attracting a particular number of viewers, as with any new app, there is a lot of confusion and even concern about the effects of TikTok on the youths. Recently, the CEO of TikTok, faced questions from the United States Congress over claims that the social media app can potentially influence American politics, and complaints about the negative impact of TikTok on children, resulting in calls for its curtailment. In Canada, the app is prohibited on government-provided mobile devices, following a similar ban in the European Union.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), more than 70 million images and videos affecting children’s mental health were discovered in 2020. This number increased by 50 percent compared to 2019. Some citizens who spoke with The Hope gave divergent views on the effects of TikTok on youths.

In the words of an accountant, Mr Ayomide Temitope, TikTok to some youths is a welcome development which serves as a companion and an easy way to make money. He said: “I don’t like people condemning TikTok because one man’s meat is another’s poison. The fact that some people have reservations about the app does not make it bad. Do you know that TikTok has liberated many youths financially?

“Besides, the major advantage of TikTok is that it serves as a great source of entertainment. With TikTok, users can dance, act, and expand their social circle. TikTok is interactive, with creative challenges and dances people make for others to recreate and have fun. Also, remember that there are some people who make videos about great opportunities and life tips that can help many others. There are other people like doctors clerics, or teachers on TikTok utilizing the platform to teach new things every day. It is a platform for sharing useful information that have been beneficial to many.”

When told that ladies through the app expose their private parts, he said: “If that is why they are condemning it, then people are wicked and selfish. That is what makes the app popular. Most youths like me visit the app to see and savour different sizes of boobs and buttocks which help me and many others to ease tension, even though we cannot touch and feel them. Honestly, watching that natural gifts of ladies being showcased freely on social media gives me succour and sound sleep. My friends also have a similar feelings. If watching breasts and buttocks on TikTok app is easing tension, why should anyone condemn it? I am sure that those against it cannot be men. Any man who condemns it is a pretender, because men will naturally like to watch such for pleasure, ” he disclosed.

Sharing a similar view, a trader, Mrs. Anifat Adedoyin, who described TikTok app as a promoter said that it provided an avenue for people with unique talents to promote such and get famous. “My children and their friends are creating different contents on the social app and is yielding positive results. These are people who were not known before. To me, it is the fastest way to get people’s opinions which help you to make good decisions. It allows users to learn and develop new things.”

Viewing it differently, a teacher, Mrs. Omolola Aniwura, who minced no words while condemning TikTok app, disclosed that our youths in Nigeria are over-exposed to online soft porn which she added is doing more harm than good to the future generation. She said: “If USA, a more liberal society, could go against TikTok, why not Nigeria? It is appalling that anytime you check your phone, what you see is bum-shaking videos of a TikTok user where young ladies shamelessly show off their buttocks for viewers to see how big they are, in order to attract mostly male followers. To another set of ladies, it is their big breasts they display to showcase how naturally endowed they are. This is disheartening and most painful because most of these pictures are unavoidable as one goes through any android phone.

“To say that our society values pleasure over treasure is to say the least, as this is evident on our youths and the current situation in the country. There is a way one is affected, either directly or indirectly, by what one sees or listens to. How did we degenerate to the extent that ladies now show off their buttocks and breasts, that should be privately cherished, as if they are biscuits or bread that can be seen anywhere? TikTok for me is destroying rather than building our future hope,” she said.

A father of four, Mr Chuks Frank, explained that while it is okay for adults to be on TikTok to share or watch any content of their choice, it becomes a problem when children and teens are allowed to explore TikTok freely to see and even partake in all that goes on in that space. He said:” Adults can do whatever they want on TikTok, and they can control the effects, but it is a no-no for children and teens. A lot of things can go wrong because its content is daily loaded with sexual objectification, sexually suggestive dances, and nudity which is not a decent platform for children. “

A guardian and counsellor, Mrs Bunmi Monifesola,  explained that TikTok is undoubtedly an entertaining platform, but its usage in Nigeria raises concerns beyond entertainment and added that the platform may be toxic to children and slowly corrupt society if care is not taken.

Her words:” Despite the community guidelines and prohibitions provided by TikTok, sexual content continues to be posted on the platform, with teenagers part of the people who view, share, and participate in such activities. Most young people on TikTok either want to share or show off what they mostly call ‘Nyash’- referring to buttocks, and ‘boobs- referring to breasts.

These contents spread quickly and are shared across different platforms. It is unnecessary exposure and distractions to our youths whose minds are not mature to handle such. A boy of 10 years once told his friend that he wished he was grown up so that he could marry a lady with big breasts he saw on the TikTok. I was sad when I heard this.  Parents should be part of their children activities on any social platform because some of them visit nude sites, ” she advised.