Annotated Bibliograpy: Impact of TikTok on Youth & Preteens

Zheluk, A. A., Anderson, J., & Dineen-Griffin, S. (2022). Adolescent Anxiety and TikTok: An Exploratory Study. Cureus, 14(12). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.32530

The study aims to determine the likelihood and themes of anxiety content on TikTok among adolescents. Expanding on 147 TikToks with the #anxiety, the authors concluded that influentials, notably males, were the prominent generators. Two divergent gender types identified were male and female; humour and inspiration were adopted more often by males than females, while the latter used self-disclosure more frequently than the former. The study exposed the absence of index anxiety self-care content based on reliable information. It implies that anxiety is being discussed on TikTok, and the app can be used to lessen its negative connotation. This article is current because it was written in 2022 and deals with increased adolescent TikTok usage. The authors have origins in universities and other credible organizations, thus making them credible. This article will help in identifying the kind of anxiety content that would be helpful for adolescents on TikTok. Due to its reception, it will help in establishing how the platform guides youths in handling anxiety. Further, it will shed light on the gender aspect, specifically regarding content creation and consumption into gendered patterns for intervention measures.

Boerman, S. C., & van Reijmersdal, E. A. (2020). Disclosing Influencer Marketing on YouTube to Children: The Moderating Role of Para-Social Relationship. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03042

Boerman et al. (2020) analyze the impact of inserting sponsored content within YouTube videos on children’s advertising literacy. The study showed that disclosures enhanced the children's awareness of advertising and the informative purpose of selling and persuasion intentions. But for the children with positive PSR with the influencers, the disclosures did not harm them regarding brand attitudes. To prevent the negative effect on children, the study reveals the need to ensure a high level of transparency of the influencer marketing method despite its positive influence on them depending on their relationships with influencers. Thus, these results reveal the challenge of safeguarding young consumers from hidden persuasion techniques. This article was published in 2020, and thus, it reflects on the recent trends in the use of digital media among children. It is important at this point to note that the authors are respected scholars in advertising and psychology. The study employs consistent methodology and adheres to solid methodological paradigms to provide validity. Its goal is to discuss the concept of disclosure in the context of influencer marketing and understand how it affects young people, which is crucial for educators and regulators. This article will be helpful to assess how influencer marketing on TikTok influences youth awareness and attitudes towards advertising. They will provide important information concerning the role of disclosure practices in social media. Besides, it will assist in evaluating a moderating role of para-social relationships among young TikTok audiences concerning these effects.

McCashin, D., & Murphy, C. M. (2022). Using TikTok for Public and Youth Mental Health – a Systematic Review and Content Analysis. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28(1), 135910452211066. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221106608

McCashin & Murphy (2022) perform a systematic review and textual analysis of the negative effects of TikTok on public and youth mental wellness. The first section of the literature discusses previous studies discussing the usage of TikTok for healthcare, revealing numerous public and mental health concerns addressed. The second part analyzes the results of Irish TikTok accounts; the authors mention high activity but negligence of institutional accounts. The results discussed may be useful to consider TikTok as a platform for mental health intervention yet, the quality of the videos published is still questionable. As the investigation reveals, the specificity of the mechanism to target young spectators is one of the main strengths of the platform. The article was published in 2022, meaning that the information stated in the paper is up-to-date and helpful in digital health interventions among youths. The authors are established scientists in psychology and psychiatry, which gives credibility to the results and the methodology applied – systematic review. This article will evaluate how effective Tiktok can be in creating awareness of mental health among youths. It will also give a clue about which health content young users find most appealing. Moreover, it will assist in identifying specific examples and areas of potential improvement and missed opportunities in the current COVID-19 mental health social media campaign on TikTok.

Yeung, A., Ng, E., & Abi-Jaoude, E. (2022). TikTok and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Media Content Quality. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 67(12), 070674372210828. https://doi.org/10.1177/07067437221082854

Yeung et al. (2022) assess the quality of TikTok’s videos on ADHD by examining the one hundred most viewed videos tagged with #adhd. It was also evident that out % of the videos, 52%, were confusing, 27% just gave testimony, and 21% were helpful. Found that videos made by doctors and other healthcare experts were informative and correct more often than those made by anyone else, but that non-healthcare professionals often provided misinformation. The study employs PEMAT-A/V and JAMA benchmarks to evaluate the quality of video content, its readability and relevance to calls to action. Published in 2020 and 2021, they offer sufficient background information about TikTok, though they may not be sufficiently up-to-date to capture the current quality of the health information shared on TikTok in 2022. The authors of the articles are experts in psychiatry, making them capable of providing a comprehensive and valid development. The study is designed to raise awareness of the issue and discuss the problem of false information sharing and its probable consequences for ADHD recognition and treatment, focusing on the potential impact on clinicians and policymakers. This article will exemplify the quality and validity of health-related information disseminated on TikTok, particularly regarding ADHD. It will also give sample messages from the social networking sites frequently used by the public and showcase positive and negative health messages for the students. Again, it will fund debates on the need to improve the regulation and public awareness concerning the nature of information available on health through the Internet.

Ng, R., & Indran, N. (2023). Videos about older adults on TikTok. PLOS ONE, 18(8), e0285987–e0285987. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285987

Ng & Indran (2023) focus on how older adults are depicted on the TikTok platform regarding 673 videos that employed the tags #Boomer and #OkBoomer. Organizes videos on nine topics, noting that fifty per cent of the videos consisted of negative stereotypes. The study also determined a high likelihood of negative stereotype portrayal in videos that touched on values, bar encounters or antagonism of the young by the elders. On the other hand, the perception of older adults as ‘warm’ did not always involve negative aspects, such as they were shown in videos with negative content. The research confirms ageism dissemination on the TikTok platform and proposes ideas to reverse these perceptions to enhance intergenerational relationships. This article was published in 2023 and is useful to analyze its relevance to the topic of the present paper, namely, age stereotypes in social media. The article's authors are scholars who work in social media and gerontology. It is reliable, following efficient research methods focusing on hypothesis testing using content analysis. Its goal is to examine the antecedents of age stereotypes in the context of a recent social media site, TikTok, to help address the intergenerational conflict. The article will help describe the different types of age-related stereotypes in TikTok and how widespread they are. It will use such samples to show how society has negative impacts that affect the perceptions of aged people. Besides, it will describe ways of tackling these stereotypes and enhancing healthy views to encourage interaction between generations.

Bozzola, E. (2022). The Use of Social Media in Children and Adolescents: Scoping Review on the Potential Risks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16), 9960. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169960

Bozzola et al. systematically outline the dangers of social media for children & adolescents since COVID-19. They detail it presents the highest likelihood of depression, diet issues and psychological issues, sleep disorders, participation in addiction, anxiety and other health complications. Such risks appear to necessitate enhanced public and medical awareness, magnified by the need for prevention measures. The article suggests pediatricians should look for other forms of early indicators of unhealthy use of social media to avert adverse health effects among youths. This article was published in August 2022 to make it more valuable in examining the negative impact of social media on young people. The authors are qualified and professional paediatricians who presented recommendations after reviewing the literature per the PRISMA guideline. This paper aims to identify ways in which social media is possibly dangerous to the health of children and adolescents and to suggest preventive measures that may be helpful to health professionals and caretakers. The article will address the research topic of the dangers of using TikTok among young people. It shall provide relevant data on SSM's risk aspects, revealing social media's concrete perils. Furthermore, it will assist in creating guidelines for preventing such risks and the general issue of safe use of social media among young users, including children and adolescents.