TikTok isn’t commonly compared to hard drugs. Or even “softer” legal drugs. But maybe it should be.
Whilst watching a movie you are in constant anticipation of what comes next. TikTok operates in a similar way, but we are not entirley conscious of it. We don’t know what the next video will be; the milliseconds between swiping off one video and starting the next is when the dopamine hits.
TikTok is not commonly compared to cigarettes or nicotine. Addicts may feel a temporary satisfaction when smoking—whether it’s after taking a couple of hits or smoking two or three cigarettes. Some eventually realize that satisfaction is never fully attainable and stop, only to try again in a few hours. I think that TikTok is highly comparable to that - but instead of 5-10 minutes smoking a cigarette, it’s 2 hours on TikTok.
One TikTok user described being bored and wanting to go on TikTok and then realising they were already on the app
The problem here, I believe, is that because a TikTok can be as short as 15 seconds long; we have this false idealistic perception that we’re only spending a few minutes on the app. But in reality, 65% of U.S. teens spend between 1 to 5+ hours on TikTok every day.
Let’s break that down:
A teen sleeps 9 hours, spends 8 hours in school, and maybe 2 hours eating in a day.
That leaves about 5 hours left in their day. If they’re spending all those 5 hours on TikTok—as over 3.36 million U.S. teens reportedly do—that leaves no time for homework, family, hobbies, or even thinking about their future. No time to build any skills or reflect on where they want to go in life.
It’s honestly scary
TikTok doesn’t get compared to alcohol or weed either, which are typically used to calm nerves, relieve stress, and numb emotions. But TikTok works in a similar way for many people—myself included. It quiets the outside world and distracts us from everything else. But unlike alcohol or drugs, TikTok doesn’t come with physical hangovers or liver damage. Instead, it leaves us with regret, shame, embarrassment—or even worse, none of the above. This lack of awareness leads users to think, “I’m fine, my life is fine, so using TikTok this much is fine.”
But is coasting through life okay?
The human mind thrives on stimulation but craves accomplishment even more. Simple achievements like taking a shower, brushing your teeth, or making your bed give you dopamine hits. But larger accomplishments—finishing homework, acing a test, or achieving career goals—are even more satisfying.
Now, imagine a student who spends 5 hours a day on TikTok. She doesn’t do her homework, but that’s fine because her grades are okay. She doesn’t study for exams because they feel far away, and when they get closer, she copes by spending even more time on TikTok. Without the small wins that build self-confidence, she’s trapped in a cycle of avoidance. Stress builds, and she turns to TikTok for relief.
And she thinks it’s fine.
After all, it’s not drugs, alcohol, or anything destructive, right?
But then she has two weeks left until her exams—the most important ones she’s faced so far. But she doesn’t fully grasp that, because her brain has been numbed for so long.
“What if I don’t get into the university I want? I haven’t applied for any apprenticeships or internships… It’s fine, I’ll just cram,” she thinks. But she doesn’t know how to cram. She’s spent the last four years on TikTok instead of learning how to study independently.
She tries to study for two hours, but when she takes a break, she opens TikTok. That 10-minute break turns into two hours, and then she has to eat, and suddenly the day is gone. Just like that, she’s failed to achieve the grades she could have.
And she hasn’t lived the life she could have.
Life isn’t just about exams or careers; it’s about feeling challenged, growing, and overcoming obstacles. But one thing you can never recover is the time lost to TikTok.
The only thing that has helped me (other than reminding myself of my goals and dreams) is using an app that gives me 10 seconds before opening social media. Those 10 seconds force me to stop and think. Even if it only stops me once a day, it saves me hours.
App: One Sec (no affiliation or sponsorship).
I’ve tried other methods—Apple’s screen time limits are too easy to bypass, deleting the app leads me to YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels, and putting my phone away just makes me turn to my laptop or TV.
What works best for me is thinking about my goals every day and focusing on realistic, manageable tasks. When I don’t, that’s when I get lost in my phone and let hours slip away.
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