Tik Tok App & Its impact on youth: Why India needs Act like COPPA?

How Tik Tok App is impacting youth in India?

Today, Social media has become an integral part of our lives. There are so many apps out there which are meant for infotainment. Social media is a platform which helps to connect with our near and dear ones. There are a lot of apps which also help people to earn name and fame. One such app is Tik -Tok. The 15 –second video sharing network is quite popular in small towns of the country. However, it has come under the scanner due to its misuse and could face a ban in India.

Recently, Madras High Court asked the central government to ban the Tik Tok, stating the app is “encouraging Pornography”. Following the ban request, Tik Tok responded and said, “The Company will review the court order and will take appropriate action.”

Tik Tok App and its impact on youth

Before Tik Tok, there was musical.ly, another product from the parent company, Byte dance. Musical.ly was more popular in countries like India; Tik Tok dominance was present in its own turf. Therefore, byte dance decided to merge Tik – Tok, and Musical.ly and made it one. In the year 2018, it has become one of the most downloaded apps globally. You will be amazed to know that Tik Tok has around 1 billion downloads.

Tik Tok in India and its impact

According to a report, India users account in Tik Tok is around 25 percent of the total downloads. It has a widespread presence all across India, especially in Tier-2 and Tier- 3 cities. India is seeking a ban on the app and India is not the first country to do that. Before India, countries like Indonesia went ahead and banned the app. Reasons for the Tik Tok ban were pornography, inappropriate content, and blasphemy.”  India is also facing the same problem.

What is the solution?

We need some effective laws to cope with the situation. We can introduce a law like COPPA in India too. COPPA stands for Children’s Online Privacy Act. It was created for the children under 13. The law was passed in the year 1998 and it took effect in April 2000. It is managed by the Federal Trade Commission.

The Act Specifies

Parental Consent is very important if any site is collecting any personal data from a young user. The main is to protect children from overexposure on the internet. We can borrow ideas from other nations to protect our youth.