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TikTok has become one of the most widely used apps among students and is rapidly shaping an app where a constant stream of short, entertaining videos are served. As you can scroll for hours on TikTok without even realizing how much time has passed. The app can be fun and even educational, but does TikTok really have anything good to offer for students and teachers in the long run especially when it comes to focusing on class?
Many Bellevue High School students use TikTok several times every day in their free time between classes during lunch breaks and at night. Because of how TikTok delivers content in short bursts, over time, longer activities like reading, studying, or listening to lectures feel harder and more tiring.
“When I study things that should take one hour turns into a three-hour session due to a TikTok break every 20 minutes,” senior Rory Ritchie said.
I also feel accustomed to this as well, there have been times where studying has taken way longer than needed due to that urge to look at my phone and scroll TikTok. Sitting through a forty-minute class or focusing on a chapter of homework can seem slow compared to the instant stimulation TikTok offers.
Teachers have noticed that students seem to pay attention to shorter times during lectures, and get distracted easily during work time in class, or cannot focus during long readings.
“I tell kids to put their phone up during class, and there is study’s that shows the farther away the phone the better focus you get in class, but the second I don’t enforce the rule, students grab their phone again, lacking the discipline to put it away.” Mr. Freeland said.
Even though being off your phone and spending less time on TikTok is shown to help students, their attention spans are already shortened.
This is especially challenging for students who face heavy course loads, advanced classes, and long-term assignments that require sustained focus and high-quality thinking. When students are used to constant stimulation, slowing down can feel uncomfortable.
That said, TikTok has its advantages as well. It is a platform that inspires creativity and new ideas, a place where educators can break complex ideas down into formats that are much more understandable. Many students find interest through TikTok, watching sports clips, movie clips, news, and many other things. TikTok is not the issue. The issue is how much of our attention it controls.
Understanding the potential downsides of social media can help limit distractions when studying. Some techniques that alleviate these effects include setting limits, disabling phones during studying, and gradually increasing focus time on studying. TikTok is probably here to stay, so learning to engage with short form content while developing long form thought will be the key to future success.
