Research + News | Topic: TikTok

TikTok Promotes Toxic Diet Culture Among Teens, Young Adults

Study authors from the University of Vermont found that the most viewed content on TikTok related to either food, nutrition, or weight largely perpetuates a toxic diet culture among young users. Read the article here.

New Survey Underlines TikTok’s Popularity With Teen Users

According to the latest survey data from Piper Sandler, which incorporates responses from over 14,500 US teens, TikTok is their primary social app of choice, dwarfing Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, which all continue to decline in teen preference. Read the article here.

Weight-Normative Messaging Predominates On TikTok – A Qualitative Content Analysis

Nutrition-related content on TikTok is largely weight normative, and may contribute to disordered eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction in the young people that are TikTok’s predominant users. Read the study here.

Teens Turn To TikTok In Search Of A Mental Health Diagnosis

While social media can help people feel less alone, using it to evaluate symptoms has several downsides. Read the article here.

New Documentary Asks: How Is TikTok Impacting Teens’ Mental Health?

The new documentary TikTok Boom, premiering tonight on PBS’s Independent Lens, explores the rise of TikTok by looking at its social-political, cultural and economic influences. Read the article here.

Please Don’t Cook Chicken In NyQuil, The FDA Asks TikTok Users

Cooking chicken in NyQuil cold medicine doesn’t sound very appetizing — and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants you to know that it’s definitely not safe, either. Read the article here.

For Gen Z, TikTok Is The New Search Engine

Young people are turning to TikTok to search for answers. Google has noticed. Read the article here.

Big Tech Is Co-Parenting Our Children. Yes, Be Afraid.

In “Who’s Raising the Kids?” Susan Linn’s searing indictment of corporate greed, tech companies targeting children are rivaled only by the lawmakers who let them get away with it. Read the book review here.

Teens And Media: A Conversation

TikTok is at the center of where media matters to GenZ. Read the article here.

Teens Now Turn To TikTok More Than Google – But Not For Schoolwork

Nearly 40 percent of young people—ages 18 to 24—are turning to visual-based social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram for their internet searches. Read the article here.