“I don’t believe most kids under 15 are neurologically ready for the development of TikTok’s addictive appeal,” says founder Chris McKenna.
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – It’s an app many of us use every day: TikTok. But some US lawmakers have introduced new legislation that aims to ban the app from the US
13 FROM YOUR PART Meredith TerHaar spoke to the founder of the West Michigan-based organization Protect Young Eyes to find out what he thinks about a potential ban and why he says kids under 15 shouldn’t be using TikTok at all.
“I’ve spent a lot of time on a lot of apps over the last seven years and my brain has never experienced anything as intoxicating as TikTok,” said Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes.
That’s a pretty alarming statement from an adult…even more so when you consider its impact on millions of adolescents.
“I don’t believe most kids under the age of 15 are neurologically ready for the addictive appeal of TikTok,” he said.
He recommends that parents download it to understand it better.
“You really appreciate both the amazing potential and incredible addictiveness of TikTok after you get into it.”
So what does he think of a possible US ban on the app?
“There’s a lot of fear at the legislative level driving this decision and that’s the part that worries me,” he said. “We now live in a time where the individuals charged with holding, in this case, the greatest corporations that have ever existed, the legislators charged with holding them accountable, most corporations don’t understand that they trying to hold accountable.”
He says lack of understanding is a problem. How much access does China actually have?
“We don’t even really know,” McKenna replied. “We are just appalled by the idea that China is the ultimate owner of this app that has a ridiculous influence on American culture and is causing a lot of fear.”
“Even if you pass the ban, it doesn’t address the root cause, which is that we don’t understand TikTok. We don’t understand the things that happen at Apple or Google, so it’s hard for us to properly regulate them in a way that’s helpful And so I just feel concerned and I think we all should whether it’s parents or professionals or in this case Congress that’s a dangerous place to be in because we’re in that situation don’t often make good decisions.’
McKenna’s hope is that this story will spark more conversations between children and parents, to create more digital trust between them.
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