TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create and share short videos. It has become widely used among students, with research showing that 67% of teens report using TikTok, and 16% saying they use it almost constantly.
With its fun music, viral dance challenges, and entertaining short video format, TikTok has proven hugely appealing to young people. It offers a creative outlet and community for students to connect with peers who share their interests. Some educators have also embraced TikTok as a way to more authentically engage with students.
However, the app’s popularity has also raised concerns about how much time students spend on it, and the appropriateness of some content. Schools are grappling with if and how to regulate students’ use of TikTok on school grounds and devices.
Dance challenges
One of the biggest trends on TikTok in schools is dance challenges, where students learn and perform choreographed dances often set to popular songs. Dances like the Renegade, Misa Misou, Savage, and many more have gone viral among students across the country (TikTok). These challenges allow students to showcase their dance skills and participate in nationwide trends. Many students film themselves or their friends performing the dances during school, in hallways or cafeterias, sometimes during class when teachers aren’t looking. While some schools have embraced the dance challenges as a fun part of school culture, other schools have banned filming TikToks on school property, citing safety and learning concerns. Either way, dance challenges have become ingrained into many students’ daily school lives.
Bullying and negative content
One major concern surrounding TikTok in schools is cyberbullying and the spread of inappropriate or negative content. TikTok has faced scrutiny for issues like body shaming and enabling harassment in comment sections. According to CyberSmile, cyberbullying can lead to serious mental health issues for kids and teens.
Schools have a responsibility to protect students online and foster positive digital citizenship. Administrators worry TikTok challenges and trends within schools could promote bullying, risqué behavior, vandalism, or dangerous stunts. There have been concerns about discrimination on TikTok as well, with some videos promoting harmful stereotypes.
To address these issues, schools are educating students about appropriate use of social media and implementing anti-bullying policies. Counselors also teach resilience against cyberbullying and encourage positive online communities. With proper guidance, schools hope students can avoid negative content, while still enjoying TikTok’s creative expression.
Classroom learning
Many teachers are finding creative ways to utilize TikTok in their lessons to engage students. Short-form videos can be used as condensed lessons to introduce new concepts, provide examples, spark discussion, and make learning more fun. According to an article on EdWeek, “Teachers are turning to TikTok to find ways to remix their practice, whether it’s through outfit ideas, classroom setups, or joyous glimpses of the profession that remind them why they first pursued it.”
Some ways teachers are using TikTok for classroom learning include:
- Playing a TikTok video at the start of a lesson as a hook to get students interested in the topic
- Using TikTok to reinforce key concepts and provide real-world examples
- Creating condensed lesson videos on TikTok to introduce topics or summarize what was covered in class
- Asking students to analyze and critique TikTok videos related to lesson content
- Assigning students to create their own educational TikTok videos as projects
The visual and engaging nature of TikTok can help make lessons more memorable and impactful. Teachers emphasize the importance of monitoring student use and selecting appropriate videos that align with curriculum goals. Overall, TikTok offers new opportunities for active learning when utilized intentionally by educators.
Extracurricular activities
Many students are using TikTok to showcase their talents and interests outside of the classroom. TikTok’s short video format is ideal for students to demonstrate their skills in sports, music, art, dance, and more. From hip hop dances to singing covers of popular songs to speed painting videos, TikTok allows students to creatively promote their extracurricular activities.
Some high schools are even creating official TikTok accounts to highlight their sports teams, band, theater productions, and other programs. This gives prospective students and the community a fun insider look into student life. According to an article on Learning Liftoff, TikTok provides “an effective way for schools to market themselves” through extracurricular content.
College admissions officers are also taking notice of applicants’ TikTok profiles, gaining helpful insights into their interests, talents, and personality outside of test scores and essays. Overall, TikTok has become an engaging new platform for students to showcase their diverse extracurricular passions.
College admissions
TikTok has become an increasingly popular platform for students to share their college admissions journey and results. The “#collegeadmissions” hashtag has over 1.4 billion views, with students posting reaction videos of themselves opening acceptance letters or talking about their stats and extracurriculars. Many top universities have official TikTok accounts where they post campus tours, student testimonials, and information about their programs to attract prospective applicants.
However, the platform has also received criticism for portraying an unrealistic view of the highly-competitive admissions process. Stories of students with exceptional SAT scores or unique accomplishments going viral can make it seem like anything short of perfection won’t be enough for elite schools. This fuels anxiety among teenagers who feel pressured to portray perfect versions of themselves. As noted in a New Yorker article, the curated snippets on TikTok often ignore the reality that top schools reject most applicants.
Overall, TikTok has become a double-edged sword in college admissions. It provides helpful insights and encourages students to share their journeys. But it also propagates unrealistic expectations that leave many teens feeling inadequate or hopeless about their prospects. Counselors advise students to use TikTok judiciously during applications by focusing on their own path instead of comparing themselves to others.
Violating school rules
Some students have gotten into trouble for filming TikTok videos at school against school policy. Schools often prohibit filming on school grounds without permission due to privacy and safety concerns. Students filming dance challenges, stunts, or pranks at school have faced disciplinary action when the videos are discovered.
For example, in Hays County, Texas, a student was disciplined for posting an offensive TikTok video bullying special education students (source). In Ohio, four students left threatening notes referencing a TikTok challenge and were disciplined (source). Schools take these violations seriously, as filming prohibited content and distributing it can disrupt the learning environment.
The challenge for educators is balancing discipline for rule-breaking with teaching social responsibility around appropriate online behavior. Clear communication with students and parents about policies, paired with digital citizenship education, can help maintain student safety and wellbeing.
Privacy concerns
One major issue associated with TikTok in schools is privacy. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. This has raised fears that user data may be accessible to the Chinese government. As a result, some schools have banned TikTok on school-issued devices or blocked it on school WiFi networks.
There are concerns about how much data TikTok collects from underage users, including location, browsing history, and contacts. The app also has access to phone cameras and microphones when in use. For schools, this data collection represents a security risk. Student data could potentially be compromised.
Some districts argue that restricting TikTok is necessary to protect students’ privacy and ensure compliance with education privacy laws. Opponents believe blocking the app infringes on free speech rights. Overall, data privacy issues remain at the center of the debate around TikTok’s place in K-12 schools. Administrators have to weigh the risks of potential data mining against the app’s popularity among students.
Social and emotional skills
There are growing concerns over the impacts of TikTok on teenagers’ mental health and self-image. Heavy TikTok use has been linked to spikes in depression, anxiety and eating disorders in adolescents. One study found that teenagers who used social media the most were three times more likely to be depressed than their peers who used it the least (Mental Health Match, 2022). The constant social comparison and pressure to gain likes and followers can negatively affect teens’ self-esteem.
Additionally, the 15-second video format encourages quick swiping and short attention spans, potentially impacting focus and concentration. The algorithm is designed to keep users scrolling endlessly through optimized content, which some experts say can be addictive or compulsively triggering. There are also concerns around privacy and data collection of young users.
However, TikTok can also have positive impacts if used moderately. It allows teenagers to express themselves creatively, gain a sense of community and belonging, and learn new skills through instructional videos. Setting healthy boundaries and avoiding harmful challenges or trends is key for parents (Psychiatric Times, 2022). Moderation, age-appropriate content controls, and open conversations around media literacy are important.
The future
In the future, TikTok could play an even greater role in education as schools and educators find new ways to leverage it. Some possible developments include:
More schools using TikTok for official communications, announcements, and sharing campus life. However, privacy and security concerns will need to be addressed. https://www.td.org/professional-partner-content/how-tiktok-is-influencing-the-future-of-elearning
The rise of “TikTok teachers” who create educational content full-time for the platform and amass huge followings of students seeking supplemental learning. This provides more educational entertainment options. https://www.fastcompany.com/90624117/tiktok-future-of-education-learning
Educators using TikTok as a way to “flip the classroom,” assigning students to watch short explanatory TikTok videos as homework, then using class time for deeper discussion and activities.
Colleges and universities leveraging TikTok for recruitment, showcasing student life and interacting with prospective applicants.
More schools embracing student TikTok projects as a creative way to demonstrate learning, like recreating historical events or science experiments.
TikTok exploring ways to expand its educational content while balancing its primary role as an entertainment platform.
As TikTok evolves, schools will need to continually reassess how they want to engage with it, weighing the benefits against privacy, behavioral, and pedagogical concerns.
