As a Teenager with TikTok being just a click away, I understand that every day the app brings a new and exciting trend to my ‘for-you-page’. Whether it is a pretty top? Or perhaps a new way of making coffee, TikTok is the place to get up to date with what is new and cool. However, some of these ‘trends’ have been misinterpreted causing harm to young people’s mental and physical health.
An interesting trend that has arisen recently is the Weighted Hula Hoop, with girls all over TikTok giving their recommendations of it. The main reasoning behind it is that it is a fun way to do exercise at home during Lockdown. However, this idea can be misleading, especially to young girls who are viewing this as a fast way to lose weight and achieve that ‘perfect’ tiny waist that they see all over social media.
I spoke to 17-year-old Maddie Walsh, who’s TikTok video on the weighted hula hoop went viral, with her achieving 7.6 million views and 1.5 million likes. She said: “I think the trend itself is ok, its good people are encouraged to do more exercise and stay healthy, especially at this time but I think some people are a bit obsessed with getting a smaller waist and for peoples Eating Disorder’s its probably not the best trend to be going viral at the moment”.
Overall, I think that we need to reconsider the meaning behind these Trends and the way that they are promoted on Social Media particularly during these harsh times.
