TikTok, Tide Pods and Tiger King: health implications of trends taking over pediatric populations

Abstract

Purpose of review With children and adolescents constantly connected to their devices in an ever-changing technological landscape, new and emerging trends in entertainment media have created potential health implications for pediatric patients. The purpose of this review is to provide pediatricians with explanations of specific trends on streaming services, the popular new mobile application TikTok, recent widespread ‘Internet Challenges’ that include pediatric participants, and new technologies. These emerging trends can pose potential harms to the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. Recent findings Recent reports and news articles have discussed popular technological trends and the adverse effects that can occur. Although technology provides access to information and social connection for youth, it also creates platforms where children can be exposed to disturbing content, peer pressure, cyberbullying, and encouragement to participate in activities that could cause potential physical harm or even death. Summary Pediatricians need to be aware of trends to best understand the implications of these technologies, especially in clinical practice. Pediatricians play an important role in educating parents and patients about the risks of these trends, in facilitating conversations about related topics including self-esteem, cyberbullying and peer pressure to promote healthy internet use, and providing necessary resources.

Online Interactions and Problematic Internet Use of Croatian Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Children and young people often do not have enough prior knowledge and can hardly distinguish accurate from incorrect information and are therefore at a greater risk of developing some other mental health problems [23]. Although technology offers young people access to information and social connections, and it is important domain of their well-being, children can be exposed to harassments, cyberbullying, and encouragements to participate in activities that can cause physical harm or even death by using the Internet [24].…”

“…Problematic usage of the Internet is an umbrella term that includes all potentially problematic online behaviors like online gaming, online gambling, online shopping, addictive behaviors, online porn content, extensive social media usage, cyberbullying, cyberchondria, and other behaviors [21][22][23][24][25]. Cyberbullying and internet addiction are two of the most researched phenomena in the field of problematic usage of the Internet, but time spent online or excessive internet usage is also an important aspect of the problematic Internet usage of children and youth with an ongoing debate of experts in the field.…”

Content Analysis of Nicotine Poisoning (Nic Sick) Videos on TikTok: Retrospective Observational Infodemiology Study

“…While TikTok is a platform that can promote and share beneficial health-related content and possibly mobilize public health campaigns [ 22 - 24 ], it can also spread harmful information [ 25 ], including content that promotes the use and overuse of electronic nicotine delivery systems to its large audience of youth and young adults [ 18 , 26 , 27 ]. For example, recent published studies [ 28 , 29 ] that examined health information videos on TikTok observed that the overall quality of health information can vary based on the source of content and that users should be selective and cautious when viewing such content.…”

The phenomenology of tics and tic-like behavior in TikTok

“…12 The platform TikTok (www.tiktok.com) has become very popular among teenagers. 13 The use of social media and the viewing of the #tourettes TikTok webpage has significantly increased during the pandemic. 6,14 The increase use of social media may have had a detrimental effect on mental health during the pandemic.…”