The adjective “overrated” can be defined as something many people believe has a higher value than what it is actually worth. Most people who own a smartphone have some form of social media app installed. Some social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook are preinstalled before you buy the smart device. In some cases, these apps can become very addicting, causing some to spend most of their time on the app rather than doing something more productive. While TikTok can be used for connecting with old friends, dancing with friends, or even learning something new, TikTok is overrated because it takes time from many people’s lives and it causes many mental health problems for many.

The primary reason I believe that TikTok is overrated is because it causes people to waste their time looking and fantasizing on the glamorous lives of others. A verified user is someone who has lots of followers and likes on their TikTok account. They also have a certain amount of watch time from users. For example, many high school and middle school students spend about 9 to 12 hours a day watching TikTok. The majority of TikTok users spend most of their day watching these verified users, not realizing that the whole day has passed them by. Becoming a verified user allows you to get paid from TikTok allowing it to become a “job”. Many of them become unhappy about their lives because they wish their lives were like the people they follow. What many don’t realize is, in order to get to that “high status”, they have to start being productive and work harder for what they actually want. 

Another important reason I claim that TikTok is overrated is because it exposes most of the youth to a dark and terrible reality, causing them to develop mental heath issues. Since our brains aren’t fully developed, it is easy for us to be misguided and unprepared for the harsh reality. I was watching the news the other day and it stated that many teens suffer from depression, anxiety, and many other mental health problem because of social media. Some users fantasize too much over verified users, causing them to hate themselves and their lives. Another example of this would be when there was this verified TikToker user who committed suicide. Many believe it was because of the crazy and obsessed fans and he felt like his life had to be perfect. Turns out after his death, there was an increase in the numbers of suicides among teenagers. This situation proves that TikTok may influence some people into doing terrible things.

There are some positive outlooks of TikTok. There are many tutors and teachers, who are also verified and they use their platform, to teach other on topics that they might have trouble with. For example, Hiemler’s History, a well known educational influencer, makes videos on many different AP (advanced placement) history courses and is verified on TikTok. Also, at the same time people might find other influencers who might teach other things like taking toilet paper and clogging the bathrooms or breaking off the doors in school restroom. In 2021, there was a trend called “devious licks”, that influenced students to terrorize and destroy their restrooms at school. This was a problem nationwide and many schools were not able to control it and had to pay for the damages.

Finally, while TikTok can be used as a learning platform, it destroys the innocence of the youth population and causes some of them to think and do bad things to themselves. Almost every person has this app and they spend majority of their time watching it. This is becoming a real problem, an unhealthy one at that. Since it takes valuable time from many and influences self harm and poor mental health, the social media app,TikTok is overrated.