The Dangers of TikTok: How Long Will We Ignore Them?

Appeal TikTok is the currency of the application Every second counts: every second counts. This is the sound of a clock in English. Videos from 5 seconds to 10 minutes, with special effects, filters and music excerpts, shared in private lists or with all subscribers TikTok.

According to Datareportal, a global data analysis platform, there were 33.18 million Moroccan Internet users at the beginning of 2023: almost 9 out of 10 Moroccans. Youtube used by 21.3 million Moroccans, Facebook 17.3 million, TikTok 9.27 million and Instagram 8.7 million. For TikTokit is 51.1% of men and 48.9% of women.

According to TikTok, Moroccan users are 18 years of age or older. False, because there is no identity verification. Children from 10 years old have access! Users must be at least 13 years old to watch and produce videos, and 16 years old to send or receive live messages.

Worldwide, 63% of users TikTok are under the age of 24, a vulnerable target, manipulated by advertisements, content dangerous to mental health and education.

TikTok gives tips for creating videos: produce them regularly and surprise, amaze, intrigue from the first seconds to attract attention and seduce the algorithm.

An algorithm is a system that encourages you to stay online longer. It analyzes your searches, establishes your psychological profile to flood you with relevant videos and advertisements.

The algorithm derives from the name of the great Persian mathematician Al Khawarizmi (9th century) who developed it. It is an ordered set of operations, steps to be followed to solve a problem. It translates your language into computer language that tells the computer every step it needs to take to perform.

Algorithm for TikTok is dangerous. It is condemned for its devastating effects on adolescents.

In France, a teenage girl committed suicide after posting a video in which she expressed her wish to die. She was bullied because of her weight. The algorithm sent him suicide videos.

TikTok offers DIY tips and different types of tutorials that can be helpful. But the ease of reading short videos is addictive for young people who, instead of learning, dumb themselves down with lively, obscene or silly videos.

In addition to the danger of sexual predators, videos threaten all values.

In Morocco, the content is often scandalous: fights between couples, live, in outrageous vulgarity; girls display their signed bags offered by sex clients, give lessons on how to get rich through prostitution… Men or women in funny situations: a man sitting in the shower repeats “Ana samaka” (I’m a fish). The girl with couscous on her head repeats “Ana barma, ana cascasse» (I am a couscous maker)… Goal? Hold on as long as you can, live. Creators must collect 100,000 views in 30 days to get paid.

During the live broadcast, viewers buy virtual gifts with real money.

Some bare part of their body while the spectators watch them. like. A girl, in a duo, challenges another to put detergent in her eyes and she accepts the challenge!

The creators are asking viewers, Kabbisou, attakbisse, yallah, wall, so they send them gifts. Vulgar begging. It is often the language of the Gulf countries!

While the video is being broadcast, viewers buy virtual gifts, in the form of animated emoticons: hearts, flowers, pandas… The gifts appear on the screen. The goal is to show off, get in touch with the creator and win TikTok special features.

The creator turns the gifts into “diamonds,” a virtual currency that he exchanges for euros or dollars. When it reaches 100 euros in “diamonds”, TikTok makes a bank transfer to him, keeping 50% of the amount.

TikTok makes $10 billion a year!

What do young people remember? The ease of making money in any way, without effort, without ethics.

TikTok it is banned in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, India and Taiwan.

TikTok collects information about its users, and Chinese law requires citizens and organizations to cooperate with intelligence services.

To protect their personal and private information, Montana (USA) has banned them. Other countries ban it on the phones of government officials: Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom.

Moroccan legislation prohibits the collection of donations without administrative approval. Even associations must have the title of public companies for that. Otherwise, the offender faces a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 DH.

A limited liability company can use the Internet for crowdfunding to connect project leaders with people who want to fund them. The company must be validated by Al-Maghrib Bank. Otherwise, its leaders are sentenced to 6 months to 3 years in prison and 100,000 to 1 million DH.

The US Congress has just passed legislation requiring it TikTok to sever its ties with its parent company ByteDance and China or face being banned from the United States.

When is Morocco’s turn?