North Speaks

The debate over deleting TikTok has taken all over Valley Stream North. I set out to find out what our Spartans think about the famous and extremely popular app, TikTok. I received mixed responses and was intrigued by what our students think about TikTok. Here are the results! 

Question: What is your stance on TikTok? Do you think there are more pros or cons to the app? 

Although there are concerns regarding the Chinese government acquiring peoples data, I believe the positives of the app outweighs the negatives since it creates a community where relatable content creation allows adolescents to form stronger bonds and also increase knowledge about a various of social issues.

-Anonymous Spartan 

Personally, I think Tiktok has plenty of pros and cons, and you debate can either side of the team. However, it should be noted that currently it is not the most important issue to deal with. Noting that I also feel that it shouldn't be banned simply because it is not negatively affecting our nation in a significant way. That being said, we have more major things to focus on.

-Navrosedip Kundlas

TikTok is both negative and positive, but I think it's quite extreme to ban the app completely. I think that the stress of school and work can accumulate negatively and make me have a really negative outlook on life. Even if TikTok might have some unpleasant things on it, I use it as a way to decompress after a long day. The little time that I smile and laugh at TikToks outweighs the cons for me.

-Anonymous Spartan 

I think there are pros and cons to the app. I believe that the app can have both a positive and negative influence on a person. The negatives to TikTok are that the things we see on our For You page are made up and fake. Nothing on our For You pages are real, whether it be an “honest review” or a really pretty girl or boy that you wish to be. The point is that the things we see on TikTok can have a big impact on us and can cause us to hate ourselves. On the other hand, the positives of TikTok are that it can help us discover new things that we may or may not like. TikTok keeps us up with the world and what everyone is doing. TikTok can also help us learn new things and new hacks. Lastly, TikToks are fun to watch. Although the negatives outweigh the positives, I believe that most people will stay on the app because of how addicting it is. 

-Anonymous Spartan 

TikTok is a deplorable app that sucks the soul and lifeforce out of the younger generation. The app feeds useless content that degrades the minds of young people. TikTok is currently owned by Byte Dance, a company based in China. Evidently, the Communist Chinese government seeks to influence the course of children's lives in the United States by collaborating with this company. This becomes especially evident when TikTok feeds STEM-based educational content to children in China while young Americans watch useless dance videos. The Chinese government is clearly attempting to advance their foothold as the world's strongest power by attacking youth in the United States through social media platforms like TikTok. Both the Democratic and Republican parties concede that TikTok is a national security threat, indicating a rare instance of bipartisanship during a time of intense division throughout the nation. Therefore, the app must be (and will likely be) swiftly restricted and/or banned from the United States.

-Anonymous Spartan 

My stance on TikTok is it's not the best resource for young teens to be addicted to but it's not the best for younger kids to be on also. Since the app has grown so much, it’s hard to keep younger children away from it. I think the app is very influential to people because it feels like your brain is taking a break from the world and it does help you "pass time" when needed. I think there're more pros to the app than cons because if you're struggling with homework you can search up help, or if you’re going through a heartbreak it can help guide you, if you feel like no one can relate to a situation you have there's people on that app who has gone through what you have gone through and it makes you feel less alone then you did before.

-Anonymous Spartan