Teenage girls have been showing up at doctor's offices with tics - physical jerking movements and verbal outbursts - since the start of the COVID -19 pandemic. As if our daughters have not dealt with enough - isolation, remote schooling, lack of social connection - research is now showing a causal connection associated with this physical malady which is typically rare for teenage girls and their watching Tourette Syndrome TikTok videos! This is not an 'American issue,' as hospitals and clinics across the globe are seeing a doubling of the number of teenage girls they are treating. Just the other day, this issue was brought closer to my reality, when a friend shared that her 11-year old daughter was being treated for what was originally thought of as the onset of epilepsy
Due to privacy issues and mature content, Common Sense recommends the app for age 15+. Being a parent of 12 - year old twin girls, I know all too well, that this suggested age restriction isn't being adhered to. Sadly, our teenage girls are often being exposed to inappropriate content. As parents we need to stay involved and connected to our children. An innocent cooking video on TikTok is one thing, sexually suggestive dances performed by teen girls in too revealing clothes, is not appropriate. 'They are swimming in shark infested waters, when they innocently think they are wading in the kiddie pool.'
Parents Be Aware and limit your teenage children's exposure to TikTok - use of the app seems innocent, BUT NOT SO MUCH!!