The Psychological Impact of TikTok on Mental Health

TikTok has rapidly become the most popular social media application which offers creative and entertaining features. However, its excessive consumption carries the risk of addiction along with significant distraction. Multiple studies have found that the use of social media has also been linked to an increase in the risk of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and suicide ideation. The aim of this research is to identify and investigate the potential destructive impact of TikTok on society, specifically on the mental health and well-being of young people. This study quantitatively evaluates the data collected from an online survey distributed to a large number of young Tiktok users. The study explored the nature and extent of TikTok usage among young individuals and examined the potential impacts of TikTok usage on mental health outcomes. The researchers have found that gender differences linked to self-assessment, addiction and the fear of missing out (FOMO) could lead to more anxiety, depression and worsen self-esteem. However, pressure for higher visibility support creativity and skill development while longer TikTok usage leads to addiction as in the case of other social media platforms.