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Waterfall Today’s Child

IS IT SAFE? be caRefuL WHat You sHaRe
As with any social media platform, TikTok gathers The real challenge is that we can’t protect our children from
information – content, messages, your likes and dislikes, all the latest crazes. As we know, the more we say don’t do

friends, devices being used, IP addresses, geolocations something, the greater the intrigue will be to go and find out
– you name it. Its exponential growth, (especially during more and to perhaps do exactly the opposite of what we ask.
lockdown), and sheer scale is where the risk lies.
A better approach may be to keep yourself, as a parent,
This Chinese-owned app has been under investigation informed - read up on the latest craze - let’s face it, if it isn’t
in several countries in terms of privacy and data security TikTok, it will be something else. Never lose sight of the
issues. There are even reports suggesting that it is ‘Chinese fact that these social media platforms are built with one

spyware’. In Korea, they were fined for mismanaging goal in mind - to commercialise their users, which they see
data gathered from minors. The BBC reported “TikTok as their ‘product’. Just like everything we buy is tracked,
collected data of children under 14 years old without everything we do online is tracked and stored, and that
the consent of legal guardians . . . the regulator found information has value which can be used for or against us.
that more than 6 000 records involving children were
collected over six months, violating local privacy laws.” Invite your children to talk about their use of social media,
India, its largest market, has banned TikTok because of ask questions, and debate the value of the different

child safety issues and the UK is investigating it over apps, the safety, and the perception of why they are
similar concerns. The US is also considering a ban, cool. Most importantly, explain that they need to take
describing it as a national security risk. Companies like responsibility for their own safety because no social
Amazon and Wells Fargo in the US asked employees to media platform will ever truly be private and secure and
delete TikTok from their phones due to “concerns about they are constantly vulnerable to being exploited.
TikTok’s privacy and security controls and practices.”
Lastly, encourage your children to apply
This may be similar to concerns about Facebook but the the tips below, for their own safety:

real difference here is that the users are very young.
ouR cHiLdRen aRe GettinG HuRt
The real danger though lies within ourselves, in how
people are using the app.

Children are being exposed to potentially dangerous
videos in the form of challenges where they are asked to
mimic the content, and children are getting hurt! There
are a few of these: The skull breaker challenge involves
purposefully tripping an unsuspecting victim so that
they fall. The aim is to get them to hit their heads on the
ground. I was shown a few of the videos posted and it
was horrendous to watch! Children fell really hard on their
backs, some smacked their heads - the consequences about Life talk® forum
can be really serious, with lifelong ramifications. Life Talk’s mission is to create happy, successful and

fulfilled youth, guided by sound values. Life Talk is a
Another is the penny challenge where children drop a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness,

coin between a phone charger and a wall plug. stimulating discussions and seeking solutions to the

The consequence – a fire! challenges faced by parents and their children.
Some people use TikTok as a platform to share controversial LIFE TALK® FORUM NPC REG: 2010/017980/08 PBO # 930 036317
political views and sexually inappropriate content. Young
children innocently make what are actually inappropriate Other sources:
videos of a sexual nature and others sing along to songs https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/what-is-tiktok/
filled with vulgar language. Recently, a ‘campaign’ was

launched against Donald Trump - people were encouraged https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/post/5-not-so-great-things-about-tiktok-

to book as attendees for his rally, to ‘fill up’ the venue, dangerous-challenges-censorship-security
basically to prank him. Thousands did so and, as a result, https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2020/08/11/tiktok-

almost no real supporters arrived on the day. Whether you apple-iphone-google-android-data-shttps://www.forbes.com/sites/

like the man or not, this is questionable behaviour and shows zakdoffman/2020/07/11/tiktok-seriously-dangerous-warning-delete-app-
trump-ban/#4d8353ca2b0eecurity-update-warning-investigation-trump-
exactly how powerful this app can be in a negative context. ban/#4e13f6b13436
30 Waterfall Issue 10 2020