Is TikTok Responsible for your Goldfish Memory?
Written by Numa Islam
Edited by Khushi Shah
January 5, 2023
Edited by Khushi Shah
January 5, 2023
In the few years since its launch, TikTok has garnered 1.5 billion active users worldwide, with most of them being teenagers. As it continues to gain popularity, it is important for users to know the effects it may have on them. This is what the authors of the paper “Research on Adolescents Regarding the Indirect effect of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress between Tiktok Use Disorder and Memory Loss” set out to do. (Sha, 2021). They hypothesized that TikTok User Disorder (TTUD) is positively linked to memory loss through factors like depression, anxiety, and stress.
The scientists used questionnaires to determine TTUD in over 3000 Chinese students in the senior year of high school. The participants were asked to answer questions about their TikTok usage, with answers ranging from 6 (strongly disagree) to 1 (strongly agree). Questionnaires were also used to identify anxiety, stress, and depression levels, with the answers ranging from 0 (did not apply to them at all) to 3 (applied to them very much). To measure memory, the scientists used digit span tests. These tests involve the participants being asked to remember a random 2-digit number. Digits are added to the number until the participant fails to recall properly.
Path analysis was used to determine the results, which showed that their hypothesis was correct. This is a statistical method, which involves a dependent variable (like memory loss) and an independent variable (like TTUD). Based on the data, a coefficient is calculated. If it meets a certain criteria, then it can be assumed that the independent variable affects the dependent variable. Depression, anxiety, stress, TTUD and memory loss were all positively linked to each other. Therefore, TTUD indirectly affects memory loss through depression, anxiety and stress.
While TikTok is a fun application to express oneself, and connect with other people, users should be conscious of their usage, and the effects it may be having on them.
References
Sha, Peng, and Xiaoyu Dong. "Research on adolescents regarding the indirect effect of depression, anxiety, and stress between TikTok use disorder and memory loss." International journal of environmental research and public health 18.16 (2021): 8820.