A doctor in the United Kingdom has told CSU World Record that we need to find some solutions. Medical journal reports show that TikTok videos may have contributed to teenagers developing tic-like symptoms during the pandemic.
Multiple reports have shown a rise in tic-like episodes among some adolescents. Mostly, this is because of the coronavirus crisis.
In A report, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) about people with tics on social media sites is worrying. People can see videos that influencers make, and then they might get tic-like attacks. It is important to be careful about what you see on social media because it could affect you.
The UK has specialist tic clinics in two children’s hospitals. They get 3-4 referrals per week from teenagers with acute onset tics. If this trend continues, it will double the referral rate for that hospital. Dr. Tammy Hedderly, a doctor who treats children’s brains, told CSU World Record that she found a problem. Families have been “hurt.” She said that we need to find solutions for the family and children who were hurt by this problem.
Dr. Hedderly said that when children with tics are watching episodes on TV, they can get more tics. This is because when people are paying attention to them, they have more tics. When you’re watching TV, it’s best not to see or talk about people with tics. She said that some people like the TikTok influencers, and they developed a movement like them. So we need talk to them and research this. Scientists need to find a solution.
Tics are very fast movements that happen on your body out of nowhere. People with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) often do things like roll their eyes and grunt. TikTok has a billion users every month. The hashtags #tourettes and #tics have been viewed over 8 billion times. People use them to post positive and educational videos about Tourette Syndrome to raise awareness.
In the hashtag, videos attracting millions of views show what it’s like to have Tourette’s. These videos can be about anything: cooking and giving answers to questions.
Some people who have Tourette’s Syndrome have been using TikTok to defend videos about their condition. They say that the videos help create a supportive community and that stressful events cause the tics to happen more often.
Medical journal reports show that people with tic symptoms might have gotten them from TikTok videos. But it’s not possible to realize for sure. There are other factors like stress, anxiety, and depression that could also make you have tics.
CSU World Record asked TikTok if it knew about concerns that videos on this app could make people have tic-like symptoms. A TikTok spokesperson said, “We want to make sure that our community is safe.” They are consulting with experts to better understand the experience.
Different countries such as Canada, the United States, Germany, and Australia have noticed that teenagers do tic-like things on social media. This is called TikTok.
