My kids love TikTok and FaceApp! Should I care?

If you don't want your children to be the product of today's free online services, you definitely should.

Think of it like this …

Children playing in a fantasy amusement park. Photo by Oneisha Lee on Unsplash
The Corporation analyzes millions of bits and pieces of data to build up a perfect model of your daughter. Photo by Taylor Vick on Unsplash
Girl with the fear of missing out. Photo by Olaia Irigoien on Unsplash

What is the story supposed to represent?

This sounds extremely scary! The story doesn't represent how it actually works, right?

When we as parents come to the conclusion to deny our children from using these services, it becomes extremely important that we sit down with them in quiet and peace, and explain to them how these services actually works and what harm they can generate, both now and in years ahead into the future, so they themselves understands the reason behind our decision.

What is Tiktok, and why should my kids not use it specifically?

Typical video on Tiktok.

What is FaceApp, and why should my kids not use it specifically?

What about Facebook?

Keep in mind the one and only goal of Facebook (and all other social media platforms) is to try to keep the user on the platform as long as possible, just like the Corporation in the amusement-park.

So, should I deny my kids from using apps like Tiktok and FaceApp?

What would you do yourself?

As our smartphone has become our most valuable and precious device in life, it is very odd to see how many of us don't care at all what we install onto it.

Giving our children a phone before they are 10 years allows for us to call them home for dinner and stuff. How would you handle that?

But, still, some of her friends received a fancy iPhone smartphone when they were eight years old. How shall I explain that?

Final question; why didn't my daughter want to just leave the park when she felt something was wrong?

Dopamine in the brain triggers pleasure and happiness.
All social media are highly addictive. Like drugs. Photo by Marc Schaefer on Unsplash

So, would you allow your children access to all social media — or would you be more engaged in what they do online?

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Father, nerd, entrepreneur, writer, investor and what not.

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