Fifteen-year-old Femi sat, eyes fixed on his phone; the soft glow of TikTok’s “for you page” illuminating his face as he scrolled mindlessly through videos: dance challenges, comedy skits, and viral trends. He had only planned to check one notification, but that was two hours ago.
So while he knew he had pending chores and homework, he couldn’t stop. Just one more video and then one more video, It was a cycle that was difficult to break.
Social media vs teenagers: The digital trap
Femi isn’t alone in this struggle. A study by Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology and Kaimosi Friends University, Kenya, has shown that teenagers in Africa spend over 5 hours daily on social media, with 85% owning phones and 80% actively using social platforms.
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These teenagers are influenced based on what they see and do online and the amount of time they spend online.
Apps like Snapchat and TikTok are designed to be addictive, keeping teenagers scrolling for hours. The constant influx of short-form content affects their attention spans and the ability to focus on longer, more meaningful tasks. Many teens also struggle with sleep deprivation due to excessive screen time.
While there is no clinical diagnosis for social media addiction, it is easy to see how much people — especially teens— are obsessed with this lifestyle, that it gets in the way of relationships, communication, responsibilities, and well-being.
According to University of Delaware Associate Professor, Melissa Gordon‘s research, this excessive use of social media has led to decreased academic engagement, distractions, and less time spent on studying, hence impacting the academic performances of these students.
Social media also exposes these kids to other risks such as cyberbullying, stalking, peer pressure, mental health issues, and exposure to harmful content.
In December 2022, a 13 year old Egyptian was left quadriplegic after a dangerous TikTok challenge that involved him and his friends throwing him from a height to test his strength. The country considered banning the app after that incident.
Studies have linked excessive social media use to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem among teens. The pressure to gain likes, followers, and validation can also create a cycle of comparison and dissatisfaction.
This has caused parents to raise concerns about the obsessive nature of social media and its influence on their kids/teens.
Femi’s mother shared that she occasionally takes away his and his siblings’ phones just to encourage them to talk to her—and to each other.
“Even when they’re in the same room, it’s like they’re not there. I have no idea what goes on in their lives, and I’m worried”
Many parents are also victims of this.
A double life online
Although most phones have locks, parental controls, and whatnot to give parents a little bit of guidance in to their kids’ actions, these kids still find ways to skirt around them.
Some kids have taken to opening separate accounts, one of which may be accessible by family members and close relations — clean, friendly, and safe. The other? That’s where they explore freely without watchful eyes.
A psychologist says, “For kids that age, most times it is better for parents to explain what is and what is not okay. They need to know what is okay, what is not, and why. You might also want to set a good example for them.”
What platforms are doing about it
Some platforms have begun implementing measures to check mate and balance out social media-user engagements, especially for teenagers and kids.
For example, TikTok has just rolled out a couple of tools — family pairing, time away, wind down, teen following features — which would allow parents monitor and manage their kids usage of the app.
These new features allow parents to dictate how much time their children spend on the app and ensure that they take breaks from the addictive stays on the platform.
Part of the plan for the TikTok “Family Pairing” is connecting parents to their kids’ feeds automatically, allowing them to block off access to the app for several hours or at specific times of the day.
TikTok is saying whether it’s a family gathering, a trip, during school hours, during dinner, at night, or during study, the “Time away” feature lets parents decide when it is best for their teens to take a break off the app.
Another amazing feature that parents will surely find interesting is the “Wind down” feature, which automatically shuts down the ‘fyp’ page at 10pm for teenagers younger than 16.
In addition to that, TikTok is also adding a tool which would enable parents check who their wards follow and who follows them.
TikTok is however not breaking the privacy rule as it doesn’t give parents access to check messages or comments or tags or whatever that was communicated. It only gives an outside overlay to what may or may not be going on in their world of TikTok.
While various parent monitoring tools are already installed into phones, TikTok has made this feature a app inbuilt, making it more direct.
Although TikTok is gradually trying to curb the addictive impacts of its app, it has faced several country bans in a bid to lessen the dependence and hold on its users.
The short-form video company partnered with the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate in March 2024, to raise awareness for online safety among African youths and parents.
However, TikTok isn’t the only platform looking to streamline these addictions for kids and teens. Instagram rolled out teen accounts last year, actively streamlining the actions of underage users on its platform.
Facebook and Instagram have also introduced features like “Take a break” reminders and hidden like counts to minimise social comparison pressures.
Snapchat restricts friend requests from unknown users to reduce unwanted interactions, while the introduction of YouTube Kids offers a safer environment with curated content tailored to younger audiences.
Social media is here to stay, and while our young people may have fallen for its charms and harms, there must be a balance.
