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The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

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Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#11
post #4

Curious how tech-oriented parents here are approaching TikTok et al with their kids. My kid isn't walking yet, but for when the time comes, I'm not sure how I'll limit exposure to what I'd call "pure trash", but also give them freedom and the ability to 'fit in' with (inevitably) the rest of their friends using this stuff.

My 13-year-old just got her own phone. Wired up with https://www.pinwheel.com/ She is NOT going to be touching social media or similar until at LEAST high school.

>She is NOT going to be touching social media or similar until at LEAST high school.

Says you. Said me (several times). I failed. Got circumvented by three teenagers blessed with the same inquisitiveness that got me into tech.

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#12

Curious how tech-oriented parents here are approaching TikTok et al with their kids. My kid isn't walking yet, but for when the time comes, I'm not sure how I'll limit exposure to what I'd call "pure trash", but also give them freedom and the ability to 'fit in' with (inevitably) the rest of their friends using this stuff.

Keep it simple dude. All they get is a basic device with text/RCS and call capabilities. I would be okay with giving a kid just a smart watch.

No social media or smart phones until 16 y/o.

Also making sure kids have friends in their community is a plus. Involve them in school programs, help guide them as they find their interest.

For love of god, don’t give your kid an unlocked iPad with YT/TT/FB/Twitch/kick.

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#13
post #4

Curious how tech-oriented parents here are approaching TikTok et al with their kids. My kid isn't walking yet, but for when the time comes, I'm not sure how I'll limit exposure to what I'd call "pure trash", but also give them freedom and the ability to 'fit in' with (inevitably) the rest of their friends using this stuff.

My 13-year-old just got her own phone. Wired up with https://www.pinwheel.com/ She is NOT going to be touching social media or similar until at LEAST high school.

[dead]

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#14

Curious how tech-oriented parents here are approaching TikTok et al with their kids. My kid isn't walking yet, but for when the time comes, I'm not sure how I'll limit exposure to what I'd call "pure trash", but also give them freedom and the ability to 'fit in' with (inevitably) the rest of their friends using this stuff.

I repeated to my boy that the Chinese government uses it to spy on people and he won't go near it for that reason. Yay propaganda.

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#15
I am obviously a bit early, as my oldest is only 7, but my wife and I decided to force ourselves to delay getting our kids (7 & 4) their own media device, such as an iPad and go straight to a laptop when it becomes a necessity in school. My 7 year old, with immense attention issues, is obsessed with reading and being creative, I could not imagine her being at her reading level if she had an iPad or some other form of digital media consumption. I can not imagine how rotten her brain would be if she had access to Tiktok or Instagram.

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#16

Is any ad-fueled corporate social media any different? Talking about shit such as Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc. I mean, they all use underhanded tactics and psychological tricks to keep you hooked and scrolling, TikTok is far from being a sole evil here.

Agreed, TikTok is just the best at it; plus it is the only viable non-US threat to US tech giants, therefore it’s the villain.

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#17

Is any ad-fueled corporate social media any different? Talking about shit such as Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc. I mean, they all use underhanded tactics and psychological tricks to keep you hooked and scrolling, TikTok is far from being a sole evil here.

TikTok is, in my opinion, the distillate of the algorithmic attention approach. Everything even remotely community building or social is stripped away until there is just the feed. Just the algorithm.

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#18
post #12

Curious how tech-oriented parents here are approaching TikTok et al with their kids. My kid isn't walking yet, but for when the time comes, I'm not sure how I'll limit exposure to what I'd call "pure trash", but also give them freedom and the ability to 'fit in' with (inevitably) the rest of their friends using this stuff.

Keep it simple dude. All they get is a basic device with text/RCS and call capabilities. I would be okay with giving a kid just a smart watch. No social media or smart phones until 16 y/o. Also making sure kids have friends in their community is a plus. Involve them in school programs, help guide them as they find their interest. For love of god, don’t give your kid an unlocked iPad with YT/TT/FB/Twitch/kick.

> Also making sure kids have friends in their community is a plus.

A lot of them coordinate hangouts via social media, unfortunately. It’s a tough balance.

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#19

Curious how tech-oriented parents here are approaching TikTok et al with their kids. My kid isn't walking yet, but for when the time comes, I'm not sure how I'll limit exposure to what I'd call "pure trash", but also give them freedom and the ability to 'fit in' with (inevitably) the rest of their friends using this stuff.

My kid is 7. He has a Linux desktop he can use whenever he wants with no internet access from his user account. My wife and I abandoned all social media and we’ll probably get him a dumb phone when the time comes.

I’ve heard the stuff some of his friends with more internet permissive parents parrot from YouTube and stuff and honestly it’s frightening.

As for the good stuff that’s actually out there, I download for consumption offline.

As someone who grew up in the 90s and learned touch type playing StarCraft online, the internet is not for kids.

Re: The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people

#20

Curious how tech-oriented parents here are approaching TikTok et al with their kids. My kid isn't walking yet, but for when the time comes, I'm not sure how I'll limit exposure to what I'd call "pure trash", but also give them freedom and the ability to 'fit in' with (inevitably) the rest of their friends using this stuff.

Also I want my kid exposed to technology, to learn to use and develop with it, but how do you balance that with preventing the damages it seems to cause? We are delaying screen-time for my 2 year old till he's at least 5 or 6 but not sure when is the right time to introduce.

Expose them to old technology. They can experience new technology when (much) older.
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