Study: How young people perceive and use TikTok

TikTok is also one of the most popular apps among children and young people in Germany. How do they use the platform and what risks do they perceive on TikTok? Insights into the perspective of adolescents are provided by the new ACT ON! Short Report from the JFF.

Study: How young people perceive and use TikTok

The ACT ON! Short Report No. 7 deals with the perspective of 12- to 14-year-olds on the app TikTok. The adolescents explain how they use the platform, what they look for in their self-presentation and what role the pressure to succeed and interaction risks play.

As part of a qualitative study, 89 children and adolescents aged 12 to 14 were interviewed. Of these, 31 stated that they use or have used the app. Almost a third of them use TikTok on a daily basis, and more than half of the respondents have already uploaded their own videos there.

The young people surveyed appreciate the fact that videos are easy to create and not predefined in terms of content. Regular platform activities, such as following others, liking and commenting on videos, are part of their usage routine for the majority.

According to the children and adolescents surveyed,high popularity is an important benchmark on TikTok, but this is accompanied by downsides, such as hate comments. Adolescents do know some ways to protect themselves - such as privacy settings. However, they point out that the involuntary dissemination of their videos cannot be safely ruled out. In terms of risks, verbal violence ("hate") plays the biggest role in the perception of young people. They also mention fake profiles and identity theft as relevant risks.

Information & Materials from klicksafe in the TikTok topic area:

The materials are also available as a print version in the klicksafe ordering system.