Creating Digitally Responsible Citizens

TikTok

• Currently 8.5 million Australians use TikTok out of 1.1 billion users worldwide.

• Around half of the Australians using TikTok are under the age of 24.

• Do you know about the implications of TikTok?

• Do you know what your child is watching on TikTok and how long they are spending on this platform?

Amnesty International, the Algorithmic Transparency Institute (ATI) and AI forensics conducted research in regards to the platform TikTok and found that by spending approximately six hours on the platform, that 1 in 2 videos were mental health related and were potentially showing harmful content. 

TikTok is designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible by using an algorithm system. The system gathers information about the ”like” engagement, preferences, video information and device settings of the user and will selectively place videos on the users “For You page” feed. Based on the research, when students rewatched mental health related videos, they tended to delve further and further into what is known as the “rabbit hole effect” (when content becomes more extreme, based on the content being viewed). 

Understanding the implications of social media and knowing what your child/ren are watching can lead to supportive conversations around digital intelligence. The eSafety Commissioner has provided strategies on how you can support your child/ren to develop digital intelligence. 

More information about the research conducted can be found here.

eSafety Commissioner - Screen Time for your child 

Please see attached information below with helpful tips regarding screen time for your child.

Mrs Courtney Freebody | Leader of Learning - Digital Technology and STEM