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QUESTION: Do You Let Your Children Watch TikTok Videos?
“My daughter is 8 years old and it’s like all of her friends have cellphones and have TikTok accounts, but my daughter is absolutely not allowed to be associated with it.
I know when she goes to a friend’s house, she will be exposed to TikTok because her friends are allowed to use it. We barely let her go anyplace except for one friend’s house, but that ended today due to this issue.
I feel like I am holding her back, but I am also not allowing things because her friends are allowed.”
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Community Answers
The following top answers have been selected by a moderator from hundreds of responses to the original question.
“As a kid who was sheltered, sometimes** it makes the kids more sneaky and better at lying. Not every time but it happened with me. Keep that in mind when you keep her from her friends.”
“It’s one thing to restrict TikTok from your child. But to not allow them to not have friends because of it, is stupid in my opinion.”
“Just understand the more you shelter and restrict a kid the more they will do it anyway they can. The best you can do is be honest with them about what is and is not appropriate to watch or repeat. And make sure they know they can come to you if they come across something they find inappropriate or have questions on.”
“I witnessed my 8-year-old niece twerking, stripping, and doing inappropriate dances. Keep your daughter’s innocence and childhood, please. Keep your foot down!”
“Your daughter is 8. Do you think she can tell when a bad person is on the other end of the internet? Most adults can’t tell. My son is 12 and just got a phone. No kids need to be on TikTok. Your her mother not her best friend.”
“When I set my kids up with their TikTok, it filters out inappropriate things and such and they’re not allowed to friend or follow people. So I feel pretty alright with it. My daughters are 9 and 10.”
“I wouldn’t keep her so sheltered…. she’s gonna do what she wants and retaliate against you… you can’t control what other parents let their kids do… however that’s NO reason for her to lose friends over…”
“Stop worrying about what her friends are allowed to do and have and stick to what is okay with you. My parents didn’t allow me to do and have or spend the night with friends. The “being strict makes kids rebel and act out” is ridiculous. If you teach them respect that goes along with your rules, you don’t have to worry about that. We make mistakes as parents when we worry about what others do and not what works for us. Prayers.”
“My daughter is the same age, her friends have phones and play out but she isn’t allowed. I feel that children are permitted to see too much for their age and brought into the world of adults younger and younger. What’s wrong with protecting your child’s innocence and their ability to use imagination for as long as possible? The world can be a harsh place to live in, let them be carefree whilst they can be.”
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