# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the US, TikTok has recently received criticism by politicians because of the company's connections to China. Some politicians have also been worried about the impact of the app on young users.

TikTok has been called a "digital drug" because users, especially young ones, become addicted. Some people believe that TikTok falsely says it's safe for 13 to 17-year-olds. A study showed that young TikTok users might see content about suicide and eating disorders when they sign up.

TikTok is not the only social media company that gets criticism from politicians and mental health experts. There are many complaints that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube also cause mental health problems in kids.

Psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge says TikTok's algorithm is very good at keeping teens on the app for a long time. TikTok has over one billion users worldwide who spend about one and a half hours per day on the app, more than any other social media.

Twenge says that this can be a problem because the more time teens spend on social media, the more likely they are to be depressed.

Problems with mental health may get worse because of technology. A government agency says that between 2004 and 2019, the number of teenagers with depression almost doubled.

However, there are some signs that social media can have a positive impact on young users. According to some studies, many teens say that social media makes them feel connected with their friends and they can be creative online.

Some young people have even used social media to start businesses.

Vocabulary

Receive - get; encounter; experience;

Criticism - a negative comment or negative opinion about something;

Politician - a person who works in politics; a person chosen by a country's citizens to work in the government

Impact - influence; effect; consequence;

App (application) - software, especially for smartphones and tablets

User - a person who uses something

Addicted - when you like something very much and want to spend as much time doing it as possible; unable to stop doing something because you enjoy it or think you need it

Falsely - Not true or correct; a lie

Study - the activity of examining/studying something in detail to discover new information; research; investigation

Show - to prove something or make the truth or existence of something known; confirm; demonstrate; validate

Content - information, images, video, etc. that are included as part of something like a website or social media account; material created by a person

Suicide - the act of killing yourself intentionally;

Eating disorder - a mental illness or condition in which people eat too little or too much food and are unhappy

Sign up - to join; to apply for; agree to do something

Social media - services like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

Mental health - the health or status of our emotions, thoughts, and feelings; the health or condition of our mind

Expert - a person with great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession

Complaint - a statement that something is wrong or not satisfactory; to stay that something is not good

Cause - make something (usually bad) happen; create

Psychologist - A professional who studies the mind and behavior and helps people with mental health problems

Algorithm - a set of rules or a process that computers follow to complete a task (When you search for something on Google, the Google algorithm finds the best websites for you)

Likely - high chance; surely; high certainty; more than 70%

Depressed - Feeling sad, hopeless, and unimportant for a long time

Double - two times more; 2x

Sign - a signal that something exists or that shows what might happen in the future; indication; demonstration; mark; proof

According to - as 'someone' said; as stated by 'someone'; in the opinion of 'someone'

Quiz

Discussion Questions

Why have politicians in the US criticized TikTok recently? What are their concerns about the app and its impact on young users? Do you agree with their concerns?

What are some of the specific ways in which TikTok and other social media platforms have been found to negatively affect the mental health of young users?

How has social media affected you? In what ways has it been positive? Negative?

Original Story

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Experts Worried about TikTok and Mental Health

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the US, TikTok has recently received criticism by politicians because of the company's connections to China. Some politicians have also been worried about the impact of the app on young users. TikTok has been called a "digital drug" because users, especially young ones, become addicted.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Subscribe to me @Dr Julie for more videos on mental health and psychology. #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #shorts👇Links below for my new No.1 bestsel...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Warm-up Question:
How do you feel today?

Discussion Questions:

1. Are you a sensitive person? Are you more emotional or less emotional than other people? What makes you think so?

2. Can you control your emotions well? How?

3. When are emotions a problem?

4. What is a crime of passion? Can you understand why feelings could cause someone to commit a crime?

5. Are you generally a positive person or a negative person?

6. Do you find it easy to explain your feelings to another person? If not, why is it difficult?

7. What makes you feel very good?

8. Is there a limit to how often we can feel good? In other words, if you feel good now, does that mean you will feel bad at some time later?

9. Is sadness a bad feeling? Are there good types of sadness and bad types of sadness? Give an example if you can.

1. What makes you feel sad?

2. If you're feeling down, how can you make yourself feel better?

3. What is the saddest movie, song, or story that you know?

4. What makes you feel nervous? How can you calm your nerves?

5. Are you excited about anything coming up in the near future?

6. Have you felt satisfied recently? What made you feel that way?

7. Do people know how you feel by looking at your face? Are you good at hiding your emotions?

8. What is the best way to deal with feelings of anger?

9. When do you feel most energized? What do you like to do with that energy?

10. Have you been in love? What is it like to be in love?

11. Which is more powerful between feelings of love and feelings of hate?

12. Can you read another person's emotions? Can you easily tell how other people are feeling? How useful is this ability?

13. What is emotional intelligence? How emotionally intelligent are you?

14. Are women more emotional than men? Or is that just a stereotype?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ESL Discussion: Are you more emotional or less emotional than other people? What makes you feel nervous?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find the latest coverage of world news, U.S. news, politics, entertainment news and more. Newzit is a news search engine aggregating news from a variety of credible and trusted media sources from around the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Unlocking the Human Heart: Exploring the 60 Primary Emotions