school management
No one really has been exposed to this extreme graphic content 24 / 7 like this before .
Tik-ing timebomb
Expert warns of harmful effect as students follow Ukraine war on TikTok .
By Eleanor Campbell
Teachers , parents and carers have been warned to be wary of their kids ’ social media use as graphic footage of the Ukraine war is broadcast across TikTok , Snapchat and Instagram .
Clips showing terrified civilians hiding in bunkers , bombs exploding on urban streets and soldiers yielding guns have garnered millions of views online since the Russian invasion .
Constant and prolonged exposure to disturbing content can affect children and young people in a number of ways , according to digital literacy expert Dr Joanne Orlando .
“ No one really has been exposed to this extreme graphic content 24 / 7 like this before ,” Orlando told Education Review .
“ Some children can get really deeply saddened by it . Some kids can get really physically hyped by it . Others will feel quite helpless .
“ Long-term , it can lead to things like a desensitisation towards violence or a lack of empathy towards the people who are obviously being hurt in the videos or in the scenario .”
TikTok , which has over two billion users worldwide , has become an important source of news and information for young people , with over a third of US users aged 14 and under .
The video sharing app collects users ’ data to serve personalised content based on their lives , habits and interests .
Each video is usually no longer than three seconds , and users have no choice to select what they see on their main feed , meaning children will have no context or details when viewing war atrocities .
“ Kids aren ’ t watching the news at six o ’ clock on TV . They ’ re not reading the newspaper . They ’ re not getting the kind of information that adults normally get ,” says Orlando .
“ I think it ’ s really important for teachers and parents to talk about the news and what exactly is happening .
“ Give that kind of background so that when the students are seeing that kind of video footage , that they are coming at it in a much more informed and in-control way .”
Children and young people are spending on average nearly five to seven hours a day on social media apps .
Studies have shown kids aged between four and 15 spend around 80 minutes per day scrolling on TikTok , which is 30 per cent more time than the average adult user .
Orlando , who researches children ’ s use of technology at the University of Western Sydney , says encouraging young people to monitor and assess their own social media habits is a powerful way to minimise effects on their own health .
“ A lot of young people reach for their phone first thing in the morning and will go straight onto TikTok ,” she says .
“ The students themselves have to think about , ‘ Well , how is that actually affecting me ?’ They have to reflect and look after themselves as technology users as well ; be aware of those habits that they ’ re falling into .”
In the US , a group of attorneys general recently launched a probe into TikTok to assess its impact on children ’ s mental and physical wellbeing .
This follows growing research which links heightened anxiety , depression and body image issues to image sharing apps such as Instagram .
For teachers and parents , taking a child ’ s phone away might not be the most effective option , says Orlando .
“ There has to be that education element , which involves adults and the students having a really deep conversation about what they ’ re doing when they are actually using their technology .
“ It ’ s not so much about the use . It ’ s about what they ’ re doing when they use it . That ’ s the important thing .” ■
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