TikTok became the trendiest new app in 2019. The fun dances and hilarious trends have made people enjoy themselves, especially when quarantine hit. So many people have interacted with each other to create a positive and healthy environment.

“I believe the positive mental health benefits of TikTok are that it shows different peoples videos with different messages and that makes everyone a little more comfortable to be themselves,” junior Kyle Alther said. “I think so many people are on TikTok because it is a community that breaks people into smaller communities based on their interests so everyone can fit in.”

The types of videos that people interact with on their For You Page are the videos and sounds that will continue to reappear. This is good for people, especially since there is not much for teenagers to do any more due to the pandemic. Many people are wanting to change their ways of life for the better with all this extra time to spare.

“TikTok is effective on people’s lives. Personally, I workout a lot and taking these videos for my viewers to help support me has been really helpful. It has even devoted me to changing my eating habits because of what some of the other creators post,” junior Jake Leonard said.

Even though this app has been exciting for many people, it is a form of social media. There will always be hate on any form of social media. Since TikTok is very popular and there are millions of people who are a part of the community, hate is going to be spread.

“The negative effects on mental health from TikTok could be mean comments and duets from posts. These are the people who hate on others to make themselves feel better,” Leonard said. “They will laugh at others for having rare conditions or for not having the ideal body shape. If the hate gets so out of control, it really does mess with creators’ lives. Because of the hate, TikTok has done a great job with adding restrictions.”

There are ways to help avoid these negative aspects of TikTok: making accounts private, only allowing trusted people to follow and view certain videos, and turning off duets and comments.

“TikTok is both positive and negative but it gives everyone a chance to be unique. TikTok has definitely changed the world for the better,” Leonard said.