The positive and negative effects of losing TikTok on mental health
WESH 2’s Meredith McDonough sits down with licensed therapist, Cherlette McCullough, to discuss the pros and cons of the app on mental health, as well as ways to plan for it’s possible downfall.
Updated: 10:43 AM EST Jan 20, 2025
RIGHT THERE ON YOUR SCREEN. THIS IS THE MESSAGE THAT SENT MILLIONS OF U.S. TIKTOK USERS INTO SHOCK ON SATURDAY NIGHT. LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER, THE APP WAS BACK. SO THAT WINDOW OF LIFE WITHOUT TIKTOK REALLY STIRRED UP A WELL OF EMOTIONS FOR SO MANY OF THE APP’S USERS. JOINING ME THIS MORNING TO UNPACK THE MENTAL EFFECTS OF IT ALL AS LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST CHARLOTTE MCCALLA. CHARLOTTE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AGAIN. OKAY. SO THIS IS REALLY POPULAR ONLINE HERE. SO TIKTOK LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS IN THE SENSE OF THIS APP IS KIND OF LIKE A PHENOM. YES. HOW DOES IT IMPACT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. SO THERE THERE ARE SOME POSITIVES AS WELL AS SOME NEGATIVES. POSITIVE THINGS. IT’S A COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO DO THINGS AND THEY’RE VALIDATED ON TIKTOK. AND THEN THERE’S THE NEGATIVE PARTS WHERE THERE’S THIS COMPARE AND DESPAIR TYPE MENTALITY, AND THERE’S CYBERBULLYING AND ALL THOSE THINGS AS WELL. SO THIS WAS REALLY A PART OF PEOPLE’S EVERYDAY LIVES. YEAH. AND JUST LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR NOTES HERE, YES, I FEEL AS THOUGH WHEN YOU TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT TIKTOK, THEY SAY, OH, I SCROLLED THAT THING FOR LIKE TWO HOURS. YOU CALL IT DOOM SCROLLING, RIGHT? YES. SO TAKE ME THROUGH, JUST LIKE THE ADDICTION OF IT. BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE, WHAT WHAT CAN YOU SEE ARE THE POSITIVES THAT HELP, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITIES GROW AND PEOPLE CONTINUE TO MEET ONE ANOTHER ONLINE. A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE STARTED BUSINESSES THERE TOO. SOME PEOPLE EXPERIENCE ENTREPRENEURSHIP. SOME PEOPLE JUST LOOK AT IT AS A COMMUNITY, A POSITIVE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF AWARENESS THINGS ON THERE. THERE’S A LOT OF EDUCATIONAL THINGS THAT ARE ON THERE. SOME OF THEM TRUE, SOME OF THEM NOT SO TRUE. BUT THEN THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF IT, THAT ADDICTIONS PART, THAT IS THE PART THAT HAS BECOME A REAL PROBLEM, A REAL ISSUE FOR A NUMBER OF PEOPLE. NOW, THE ROLLER COASTER RIDE HERE THAT’S TIKTOK’S FATE IS NOW IN CONTROL OF THE INCOMING PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP. IT’S A BRIGHT SPOT FOR SOME, BUT USERS AREN’T IN THE CLEAR. SO WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY, AS YOU SAID, THE FOLKS THAT YOU KNOW ARE MAKING AN INCOME ON TIKTOK? THIS IS A VERY BIG DEAL. THIS IS A REALLY GOOD POINT, THOUGH, MAYOR, BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE A SOLUTION JUST YET. THIS IT COULD BE A TEMPORARY FIX RIGHT NOW. SO THOSE PEOPLE THAT DO USE TIKTOK FOR REVENUE, I MEAN, THINKING ABOUT NOW, HOW CAN THEY REVAMP THEIR CAREER GOALS, YOU KNOW, OR THEIR REVENUE STREAMS AT THIS POINT? AND I FEEL AS THOUGH I KNOW WE’RE TALKING SPECIFICALLY TIKTOK, BECAUSE THE FATE OF THE APP IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. BUT I FEEL LIKE THE ADDICTION, THE SCROLLING, THE GOOD AND THE BAD THAT CAN BE FOUND ON EVERY APP ANYMORE, RIGHT? IT’S TRUE. AND THAT’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DAILY MOOD. SOMETHING THAT I CALL YOUR DAILY CHECK IN. SO FINDING OUT WHAT YOUR MOOD IS AND HOW DO WE GET TO THAT? WHAT ARE YOU FEELING? ASKING YOURSELF WHAT ARE YOU FEELING? AND KEEP IN MIND, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT CAN CONTROL OUR FEELINGS HORMONES, BRAIN, CHEMICAL IMBALANCES, THE ENVIRONMENT, CURRENT EVENTS, A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT CAN LEAD TO THAT. BUT WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE FEELING, IT CAN LEAD YOU TO A HEALTHIER COPING STRATEGIES. AND I FEEL LIKE JUST IN THE NEW YEAR, IT’S THAT BIGGER PICTURE OF HOW DO I WANT TO SPEND MY TIME? IS IT ON MY PHONE? IS IT ON APPS, OR IS IT MORE RIGHT? YOU KNOW, BEING PRESENT AND HAVING THAT CONVERSATION? YES. WITH IN PERSON. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL MEDIA TAKES THAT AWAY FROM US SO MUCH BECAUSE WE CAN START ONE THING AND THEN IT GOES TO THE NEXT THING. AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOUR FAMILY IS SITTING THERE AND TIME HAS GONE BY AND YOU’VE WASTED TIME AND THEY’RE LIKE, WHERE’S DINNER, MOM? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE I’M BURNING ON THE STOVE BECAUSE I’M WATCHING TIKTOK. I DON’T EVEN HAVE TIKTOK, BUT STILL. RIGHT. IT’S TRUE. IT’S GOOD. IT’S GOOD TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GO THROUGH ALL THIS, OKAY. IF SOMEONE REALLY IS STRUGGLING WITH ALL OF THIS, HOW CAN THEY REACH OUT TO YOU? ABSOLUTELY. THEY CAN REACH ME ON MY WEBSITE. CENTERPIECE THERAPY.ORG. OR YOU CAN REACH OUT TO ME OVER THE PHONE. (407) 230-4582. OKAY, GREAT. AND WE’LL HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION TOO [email protected]. CH
The positive and negative effects of losing TikTok on mental health
WESH 2’s Meredith McDonough sits down with licensed therapist, Cherlette McCullough, to discuss the pros and cons of the app on mental health, as well as ways to plan for it’s possible downfall.
Updated: 10:43 AM EST Jan 20, 2025
>> Click here to learn more about McCullough’s mental health services
>> Click here to learn more about McCullough’s mental health services
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