TikTok is a media app for creating and sharing short videos. The app has become
rather popular of late, with people, including celebrities, using it to make
and share short, funny videos of themselves, usually with voice over. The trend
is such that newly elected Trinamool Congress MPs from West Bengal, Mimi
Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan proclaim their joy post election using the TikTok
app.
The all purpose video app has made even a common man a star
overnight; and the icing on cake? You’re paid for your live videos! TikTok
users have millions of fans today compared to the other celebrities. However,
as much as the app is making everyone famous, it also has its share of adverse
effects, both physical and mental. Last year, a TikTok user from Chennai killed
himself on the railway tracks after being teased and harassed by people for
wearing women’s clothes and uploading videos. He was affected by the verbal
abuse and awful comments on his account.
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In January, 2019, a 15-year-old girl from Mumbai committed
suicide after being scolded by her grandmother for constantly using the app.
In April, 2019, a 19-year-old Delhi resident was accidentally
shot by his friend, who was trying to make a TikTok video.
TikTok had been banned months ago, when four girls were accused
of making a vulgar video on the app. After almost a fortnight, the app was
back.
In one of the most recent cases, on June 12, a 24-year-old
mother of two children committed suicide after she was scolded by her husband
and prevented from using TikTok. The woman committed suicide in a video itself
by drinking poison and then sent the video via WhatsApp to her husband.
So many deaths have occurred through this app, either by
addiction and disappointment or by accident.
“I love using TikTok, but I have my limits,” shares Yashodi
Sharma, from Porvorim.
“I have heard of incidents and it scares me. People have become
addicted to this app as though it is some narcotic drug. Gaining attention and
fame is human greed, and the app is a way to get there. Those who have no
control end up in accidents and deaths by using the app,” she adds. On the bright
side, Yashodi feels that if a person limits the use of the app, they can enjoy
it with ease. “I like to sing and act, so I just use it to cure my boredom in
my free time,” she says.
Unlike her, Alrica Fernandes from Old Goa honestly reveals her
addiction to the app. “I use it a lot,” she admits, adding, “But I have a valid
reason.” Alrica says that it enhances her acting skills and that she is free to
act in those videos without feeling shy or embarrassed. And while she admits to
being addicted, she assures that she would never do something like harming
herself or worse. “It’s just an app; I have other bigger priorities in life,”
she says firmly.
Parents are concerned about their teen children wasting time on
such an app. “Though it allows people to explore their acting talents, I can
see young boys doing crazy stuff to gather attention and to feed their ego of
being popular, while girls are crossing their limits by exposing too much,”
says Mary Pereira from Carambolim, a mother of two. “I have restricted my
children from using this app.”
Researchers have studied the effects of the app. Initially, it
was introduced as a platform to entertain people and give opportunities to the
youth. However, it has now become the reason for youth’s distraction. So far,
no untoward incidents have been reported Goa as most users believe that they
are in full control of their lives and are not letting the app control them.
