Imran Ahmed

You may remember an old public service announcement that asked parents, “It’s 10 pm, do you know where your kids are?” The question today would be, “It’s 10pm, the kids are upstairs … but who are they with?” Do we really know which influencers or content creators are communicating with our children right now, on apps to which we have no real access, or that we might not fully understand?

TikTok, the Chinese-owned video sharing app, has emerged as the leading app for young people’s hearts, minds, and screen time. The app is addictive by design – at its core, it is an endlessly scrollable feed which personalises over time, serving up video clips in its For You feed.