Many of us have felt the sting of being compared to others by our parents. They would point out children who excelled in school, helped around the house, or overcame difficulties. The phrase “Back in my day” often echoed, serving as a constant reminder that we are luckier than they had been.

Today, comparison is not encouraged and is almost impossible. Back in my time, technology meant CDs and video cassettes. The differences in upbringing and education are as stark as night and day. In the past, satisfying curiosity took days of searching, but now answers are just a click away.

Technology has widened the gap between generations so much that children are now teaching their parents how to use apps and even how to turn on smartphones. This shift reflects the changing ways in which children learn and grow. It also emphasizes the increasing role of social networks like TikTok in their daily lives, highlighting the need to discuss the impact of these platforms on their development.

TikTok has been widely discussed recently. In June 2024, the government of Kosovo joined other countries in banning TikTok in state institutions, requiring officials to remove the app from official devices to protect against potential cyberattacks.

Many, including EU member states, EU institutions, the U.K. and the U.S., have imposed partial or full bans on government employees using TikTok over concerns about cybersecurity and privacy.

These decisions come as TikTok’s presence continues to grow. In March 2024, TikTok ranked as the third most downloaded mobile app globally, with 46 million downloads that month, according to data from Statista, a German platform specializing in data collection. The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting isolation helped fuel TikTok’s rise, turning it into a global coping mechanism. Kosovo followed the trend.

In addition to concerns about cyberattacks on state infrastructure, several cases in Kosovo highlight TikTok’s impact on the mental and physical health of children and young people.

In May 2024, reports emerged that three students under the age of 14 allegedly injured their hands with sharp tools after participating in a TikTok challenge. Additionally, around 15 other students reported hand scratches, which are suspected to have resulted from a TikTok challenge or game.

As global concerns about TikTok’s influence grow, I, like many other parents, have experienced this impact firsthand in my own home. I see daily how TikTok has become my two teenagers’ primary source of information. From the war in Palestine to skincare routines, they gather information from the short, often controversial videos they watch on the social network.

As a result, our family discussions often focus on correcting the incomplete information they receive from TikTok. In my time, the world revolved around books, games with friends in the neighborhood and face-to-face conversations. But nowadays, many things are not like they were.

Mental and physical health are vulnerable

Those of us who used to read books and take notes by hand now face the challenge of raising children who learn through TikTok video tutorials. I often feel as though we live in parallel universes: children in their digital age, where a challenging math lesson can become easy and fun through a TikTok challenge, while we, the parents, remain in our traditional era, sometimes resistant to or even rejecting these technological changes.

If I start a sentence with, “Back in my time, the book was the source of knowledge,” I’m often met with eye rolls, an “ahhh,” and disregard. In the clash between the algorithm and the library, the algorithm emerges as the winner.

Since that’s the case, I decided to challenge myself not with a TikTok game or challenge but by downloading the app. I opened it and, without overthinking, became completely absorbed. As I browsed through endless videos, I felt like I was drowning in an ocean of information with no direction and no way out. Each video pulled me deeper into that virtual world — video after video, challenge after challenge, influencer after influencer — until my phone died.

That’s when I realized why my kids always complain about their phone batteries being low when I ask them to help me with something. TikTok isn’t just the latest trendy app; it’s a labyrinth that draws you in and doesn’t let you out — much like the vortex in which Alice gets lost in Wonderland.

TikTok seems designed to act as a vortex that pulls users in, potentially having a harmful effect, especially on minors. In 2023, the international nongovernmental organization Amnesty International published the report “Driven into Darkness,” which focused on TikTok’s impact on the mental health of young people. The research, conducted from July 2022 to October 2023, surveyed 550 children and young adults, aged 13 to 24, from 45 countries.

The findings revealed TikTok’s addictive and manipulative practices, which are designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible. The report also highlights that the algorithmic system recommending content, which has contributed to the platform’s rapid global growth, “exposes children and young people to mental health challenges and serious risk of harm,” according to Lisa Dittmer, a researcher at Amnesty International who contributed to the report.

Amnesty International describes this “drive into darkness” as exacerbated by the harmful, hateful, or misleading content that users are exposed to.

Donika Shahini Lami, a clinical psychologist in Kosovo, explains that this type of content on social networks not only promotes violence against others and oneself but also perpetuates this behavior beyond the platform.

“Virtual violence is disturbing and oppressive for all girls and boys,” said Shahini Lami. “In many cases, it leads to very serious consequences for mental and physical health.” She added that in her work, she encounters cases of self-harm and severe mental health issues resulting from exclusion and hate on social networks.

In addition to its other harmful aspects, TikTok also demonstrates how technology can facilitate gender-based violence, known as technology-assisted gender-based violence. This platform has become a space where women face harassment.

Victims of image-based sexual abuse have reported that TikTok has been for threats and blackmail. In research published in March 2024, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) identified 427 videos posted between September 2020 and November 2023 in which women and girls were subjected to humiliation and abuse. According to BIRN, these videos were shared from accounts in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia. Kosovo activist Neri Ferizi also highlighted a case of harassment involving 30 minor girls in Mitrovica through TikTok on the show “Kallxo Përnime.”

Experts are urging parents to take a more active role in reducing TikTok’s negative influence. In Mexico, authorities have warned parents to supervise their children’s social media use after 15 school children, aged 10-12, sought medical help for participating in a TikTok challenge called the “tranquilizer challenge.” In this challenge, students took tranquilizers and competed to see who could stay awake the longest. This incident marked the fourth time a school in Mexico reported similar cases.

Various challenges in the U.K. and U.S. have led to serious injuries and even deaths among teenagers, intensifying the call for increased parental involvement.

Since many of these challenges take place in schools, they disrupt the learning environment. As a result, several educational institutions have decided to ban smartphones during classes.

Schools’ involvement in the effort

Managing the impact of social networks like TikTok has become a challenge for schools and teachers who struggle to keep students focused and ensure effective learning.

In Kosovo, teachers complain about the decline in students’ behavior. As a parent, from the sixth grade onward, I have heard various complaints from school staff during parent-teacher meetings about inappropriate behaviors such as making noise and not paying attention.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting isolation sped up the rise of platforms like TikTok, which was the most downloaded app in 2020. Kosovo, like the rest of the world, faced isolation and learning gaps became apparent. A study by the Pedagogical Institute of Kosovo on education GPAs due to Covid-19 revealed that factors such as distance learning, shortened class hours and ineffective methods contributed to the setbacks.

In Kosovo, internet usage has also steadily increased, with the majority of users accessing it through mobile phones.

Sociologist Leonora Aliu attributes this growth to the need for connection during isolation. “The pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus, which led to total lockdowns in many countries, gave a significant push to TikTok. There was a need for new, creative forms of social interaction and TikTok played a big role in that,” she said. She noted that this technology is primarily used for communication, rather than education.

Over three years after the pandemic, teachers in the U.S. have turned to TikTok to express their fears, frustrations and concerns about the state of education. In September 2023, a teacher in Georgia revealed on TikTok that most of his students started the school year performing at a fourth-grade level or below, despite being in seventh grade. A Texas seventh-grade teacher stated, it’s “hell out here.” In a video viewed 12.6 million times, he said, “When I tell you these babies can’t read, can’t write and can’t understand, I’m not kidding.” Many similar videos from U.S. teachers can be found online.

In Kosovo, the pandemic also had an impact. Vlora Kupina, an English professor at Dr. Shaban Hashani High School in Ferizaj, observed that the effects of the pandemic and subsequent rise in TikTok usage among students were immediately noticeable.

“Students don’t use TikTok for learning but rather to watch other content, often harmful to their mental and physical health,” Kupina said. She noted that some of these changes include a lack of concentration and attention during lessons. Researchers worldwide have linked TikTok use to reduced learning time and decreased academic performance.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) told K2.0 that it issued Administrative Instruction no. 1/2019, which focuses on protecting children on the internet. This directive requires pre-university educational and training institutions to address online safety through regular lessons and extracurricular activities, preparing students to use the internet safely in line with their physical, social, emotional and intellectual development.

MESTI also developed “Navigating through the Internet,” which includes two guides for students, one for teachers and one for parents. These guides offer alternatives for using the internet responsibly and effectively, addressing the topic through cross-curricular and extracurricular learning methods. However, recent instances and teacher feedback reveal poor implementation.

Meanwhile, schools around the world are acknowledging this issue. In the U.S., some schools have started blocking TikTok and actively educating students about social media use. The UN has also called for the banning of smartphones in schools to enhance learning, reduce classroom disruptions and protect children from online bullying.

Using technology differently

Rapid technological advancements have made life and communication easier, but they have also introduced new challenges. As a result, studies and research are being conducted globally to explore how education systems can adapt to new demands and better support students.

A 2022 study conducted by three universities in the U.S., U.K. and Taiwan, examined the use of TikTok in teaching statistics. The experiment divided students into two groups: one used TikTok’s short videos to learn statistical functions in Microsoft Excel, while the other group did not. The TikTok group showed significant improvement in their performance compared to the control group, demonstrating the effectiveness of short videos as a learning tool. The research also indicated that bite-sized learning effectively manages the knowledge load and enhances the acquisition of information.

TikTok can be used for beneficial purposes. Valon Canhasi, a social media expert and founder of Hallakate, a company that provides social media management training, explains that TikTok, like the internet as a whole, offers a diverse range of content, including educational material.

TikTok “can also be used for educational purposes. There are plenty of video tutorials that teach how to use various products or services. I’ve personally learned many things on TikTok,” said Canhasi.

Elvira Ibrahimi Hoti, owner of Accell Accounting and an accounting expert, uses TikTok for this purpose. She creates educational videos about tax procedures and relevant legislation, sharing her expertise through the platform.

While TikTok does showcase some innovation, it also poses a challenge in our digital age. 

Canhasi supports supervision of children’s content on TikTok, as well as on all online platforms. “There is inadequate content all over the internet. We must address the insufficient education about internet use for both parents and children,” he said.

Coordination between parents, educators and policymakers is essential. Parents can regularly monitor and guide their children’s use of TikTok, have open conversations about the content they consume and set healthy boundaries. Educators could harness TikTok’s potential as a learning tool by integrating it into their teaching strategies where appropriate.

Finally, policymakers can closely monitor the implementation of existing legislation and create mechanisms to protect young users from harmful content and excessive use. They should also develop and promote digital education programs that teach both children and parents how to navigate the internet safely.

Feature Image: Atdhe Mulla / K2.0

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