With millions of people using the widely popular app Tik Tok daily, the side effects of the app are starting to begin. Tik Tok is used daily in America, especially by teenage girls. Researchers are starting to find out that because of certain trends on the app, some girls are starting to develop tics that come with tourette syndrome. 

Tics are physical twitches that are not able to be controlled by the body. These tics are coming from popular trends that come across thousands of teenage girls’ “for you” pages daily. Influencers from the app are growing in popularity because they have tourettes syndrome, and are creating a safe place for others who might have the same disorder as them. But these teenage girls who are reporting the tics, do not actually have tourettes, just the same side effects of it. These tic-like behaviors are being taught to other teenagers throughout the app. Doctors and therapists are warning that the more that teenagers interact with these videos, the more these teenagers will expend the seriousness of these tics. One major difference is that the actual syndrome is not curable, while these outbursts of tics are very treatable just by going to a behavioral health therapist.  

Medical professors are worried by this random outburst in teenage girls because they have never seen anything like this before. A social media platform had never caused this big of a physical health issue like this. Doctors are worried that if the trend keeps expanding, more teenagers will be affected by it and it will become a much bigger deal than it already is. Health officials are making sure that all teenagers know that there are more efficient, healthier coping mechanisms than the popular platform. Even though the app may make it seem like it is helping because teenagers can connect with others through the app, it is making matters worse in the long run. Even though these patients do not have the same well known tourette’s disorder, they may be medically treated exactly the same way. 

Another thing all of these teenage girls have in common, other than TikTok, is having some sort of background with anxiety, depression, and self esteem disorders. These other disorders also may result in girls going to TikTok to find others like them, because they may always feel hopeless and alone in these mental battles that go on in their heads everyday. Social media can be a dangerous place for teeangers with mental health issues, but it can also feel like an escape too. Medical professionals are saying that if you are experiencing anything like these tics to please reach out and get help.