Originally published at National Catholic Register
Father David Michael Moses likens the popular short-form video app TikTok to a bad neighborhood.
His comparison works, given the disturbing statistics outlined in a recent Associated Press report, “TikTok aware of risks kids face on its platform, lawsuit alleges.”
The statistics outlined in the AP story are alarming:
TikTok aims at increasing user retention. “The ‘habit moment,’ as TikTok calls it, occurs when users have watched 260 videos or more during the first week of having a TikTok account. This can happen in under 35 minutes since some TikTok videos run as short as 8 seconds, the complaint says.” 95% of smartphone users under 17 used TikTok at least monthly, according to the complaint. Plus, roughly 36% of content normalizes pedophilia and 50% of content glorifies minor sexual assault.
Regarding the “bad neighborhood” of TikTok, Father Moses would never recommend that his nieces and nephews live there, but he knows that priests still need to serve the area.
“Every bad neighborhood should have a Catholic church and a priest there,” Father Moses told the Register. “I would not recommend my nieces and nephews all go on TikTok. But just like in a bad neighborhood, there are souls
