Above is the two-minute version video component of this piece, as posted on X. A more in-depth, four-minute version with more interviews and data that could not fit into two minutes is embedded at the bottom of this post and can also be accessed on YouTube here.
In this day and age, the words Gen Z and TikTok often feel intrinsically linked. Thinking of one brings to mind the other; after all, who are we, the post-Y2K cohort, without our 15-second long dance routines and highly unhealthy challenge trends? However, as recent reports show, TikTok has been a machine for the production and distribution of misinformation among the youngest and most impressionable demographic members in the market.
The largest user base of TikTok is the next generation of voters, voices and policy makers; 25% of TikTok users in the U.S. are under 19, a larger percentage than any other age group. TikTok trains them to like and scroll, to catch onto the next strongly worded, all-caps video caption, to trust anyone with a loud enough voice without a thought of whether or not sources are provided.
To put it in the words of Cardi B’s viral sound clip on the app: “That's not a reliable source.” What happens when the so-called “clickbait” starts influencing how we mark our ballots? Call me crazy, but I don’t feel that an app marketing videos of influencers lip synching to generic pop songs is worth endangering the future of our democracy.
A religion? A drug? A master of manipulation?
But just how popular is the seven-year-old, Chinese-based social media app? As of 2023, TikTok reportedly has 1.67 billion active users across the world.
This number brings the term cult following to a whole new level; if one were to put these numbers up against the numbers of religious adherents worldwide, TikTok would be the third-largest religion in the world, surpassed only by Christianity and Islam.
Its followers are deeply devout, especially among Gen Z; 76% of Gen Z survey respondents from across the world reportedly use TikTok as of 2023, a rate of use greater than any other social media platform, with 63% of Gen Z using the app on a daily basis, according to YPulse. It is no wonder, then, that addiction recovery organizations and experts like Next Level Recovery Associates have warned of the growing epidemic of “TikTok addiction.”
It is also no surprise to many that, like many digital services seeking a profit, TikTok is designed to create and fuel addiction in its user base.
Like the malignant leader of a cult manipulates and controls its members, TikTok targets the patterns in a user’s activity on the app and generates content manipulated not only to be enjoyed by that user, but also to draw them in with content that spawns jealousy, fear, anger and shock.
But if this content is controlled by some all-powerful algorithm, surely such a virtual power would filter out the most dangerous and malicious content?
Conspiracies and COVID-19
To put it simply: nope. When it comes to videos related to current events or news, false information is rampant. According to a 2022 investigation by NewsGuard, about 20% of videos shown first in searches relating to prominent news topics contained some form of misinformation. These topics ranged from domestic events like the 2020 election results and the Jan. 6 insurrection on the capital to international issues, perhaps the most concerning being information about the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccines developed to fight it.
This number struck out to me. Could one in every five news-related TikToks really be spreading misinformation? I knew misinformation was prevalent on the app, but to that extent? To check, I created a new TikTok account and conducted my own experiment.
Similar to NewsGuard, I examined what would be shown if I searched up news-related topics on the app with no previous influence on my suggested contact. However, instead of looking at the videos shown upon a direct search of a topic, I looked at the suggested auto-completed versions of a search. For instance, as I entered a term like “vaccine” in the search bar, I took note of what results were suggested to be before I even finished typing the word. This was in part due to new updates since NewsGuard’s investigation that prevent users from searching certain buzzwords like “January 6” or “COVID-19.” This also showed me some of the ways users may have evaded these restrictions, such as subtle misspellings like “Janary 6” instead of “January 6.”
The results heightened my fear and distrust of the app more than I ever could have expected. Upon searching variations of “2020 election” the very first recommended result was “2020 election stole proof,” which was unfortunately the least extreme case. After typing in “January 6” the fourth recommended search was “January 6 set up by FBI,” a conspiracy linked to far-right conservative factions. Unsurprisingly, “January 6 conspiracy proof” was listed just a few results later.
Full videos are included in the 4 minute clip at the top of this post.
The insurrection was not the only news-related topic to garner conspiracy-ridden results. The results for the word “vaccine” prompted recommended results with concerning implications on public health. “Vaccines bad for you” followed by “vaccines cause autism” were among the top results, which are narratives built on claims scientifically proven to be completely false. These conspiracies were central to the anti-vax movement at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, where a refusal to get vaccinated often led to tragic deaths after contracting the very virus that many denied.
Along with vaccines, TikTok’s recommended search results were wrought with denial-based conspiracies about the COVID-19 virus itself. Typing in “was covid” generates “was covid made from a lab” as the first result, with conspiracies of increasing absurdity following, including “was covid from the government,” “was covid population control” and “was covid 19 a set up.”
What I did not expect to be a popular enough search to show prominently among these results, however, was religious-based conspiracies about the pandemic. The second recommended response listed was “was covid the mark” and later “was covid 19 vaccine the mark,” which are apparently references to a conspiracy among some American Christians that getting a COVID-19 vaccine shot is the satanic “mark of the beast,” according to a report by USA Today. This matches up with why the eighth recommended result was “was covid the devil.” With religious conceptions among the many driving factors preventing Americans from receiving a life-saving vaccine, the idea that such conspiracies are so immediately accessible to the youngest internet users is, and should be, deeply frightening.
Is the “free speech” argument worth the fear?
A common argument defending complete freedom of content on TikTok is the classic American constitutionality debate. After state lawmakers in Montana proposed a first-in-the-nation ban of the app just last month, U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy shut it down on the basis that it “oversteps state power and infringes on the Constitutional right of users and businesses.” Avid Montana TikTok users who supported the blocking of the ban rallied in support of Malloy, posting copious videos with the same argument, that banning or censoring TikTok is violating users’ freedom of speech.
I understand the desire of Gen Z to make sure our voices are heard and never silenced. The intention behind it is true and a valuable lesson to the power of our generation. However, perhaps of those pushing the constitutionality argument were to see the prevalence of misinformation and the extreme impact it can have on American lives, they might reconsider.
To them, I would offer another constitutional protection. The Fourteenth Amendment declares that Americans shall not be deprived “of life, liberty, or property.” From the research of others and my own experience, I’ve seen how TikTok provides a platform for the uneducated to spread misinformation. Not simply lies, but unproven claims and radical conspiracies that can rack up a body count. If TikTok hadn’t been around, or at least had more efficient safety and filtering capabilities, would there have been as many young people in the anti-vax movement? Would there have been as many young people who refused to protect themselves from a virus that would be their death in the end? In that vein, is eradicating misinformation not protecting Americans’ constitutional right to life?
Not to mention, shutting down TikTok would not silence the voices of the people or the freedom of the press. It’s no secret that the physical newspaper is dying off and young Americans are turning to digital platforms for their news. TikTok is by no means the only digital space for Gen Z to learn and raise their voices. Though in the ideal world, young people would veer toward credible news sites and express their opinions with factual support, it’s more realistic and easy for Gen Z to take to other social medias, whether that be Instagram, Snapchat, X or another. If TikTok end-all-be-all for Gen Z to exercise their First Amendment rights, America would have a much larger problem on its hands, and George Orwell would be rolling in his grave. Luckily, we seem to have a few more years to prevent a descent into dystopia.
Rewinding the clock
So, is TikTok worth defending in the name of Gen Z culture? Not if you ask me. When it comes down to it, TikTok is designed to capitalize on Gen Z’s addictive tendencies with its structure and algorithm. But when coupled with misinformation about every major news topic under the sun? It becomes a deadly weapon. Some might even call it a Tik-ing time bomb, if you’ll excuse the pun, just waiting to blow up with viral videos at the next heart-wrenching tragedy or world-changing event.
When claims made by creators are rarely proven and falsehoods are at the forefront of content, TikTok is no longer the digital land of the free that it is in the minds of many.
America needs more voices raised. It needs more accessible, factual information and more qualified individuals to consume and distribute that information. America does not need more conspiracy theorists or more ignorant screen-scrollers falling for falsities. And knowing the change-making nature of Gen Z, we can escape the cycle of lies that TikTok projects. We have the power to diffuse the bomb.
All it takes is momentary pause when an unsupported claim pops up on screen. Does something seem off? Check it out. Is the creator an expert on the topic? Are there any sources cited? If you Google the claim, what do you find?
It barely takes a moment, but it makes a world of difference. Gen Z has the power to reject ignorance. We can’t be the generation raised on the internet without taking the initiative to understand it. As we enter a new age of technology, media literacy might just be more important now than ever before. Time is ticking.
Some helpful media literacy resources:
A more in-depth look at this topic:
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