An Emerging Ophthalmology Challenge: A Narrative Review of TikTok Trends Impacting Eye Health Among Children and Adolescents
Abstract In today’s digital age, children and teenagers are deeply entrenched in the world of personal electronic devices including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. These serve as gateways to captivate online content. With children as young as 4 years old having access to these gadgets, the potent...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Adis, Springer Healthcare
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Ophthalmology and Therapy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s40123-024-00885-3 |
| _version_ | 1797275605878702080 |
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| author | Sally Al Hassan Alaa Bou Ghannam Joanna S.Saade |
| author_facet | Sally Al Hassan Alaa Bou Ghannam Joanna S.Saade |
| author_sort | Sally Al Hassan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In today’s digital age, children and teenagers are deeply entrenched in the world of personal electronic devices including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. These serve as gateways to captivate online content. With children as young as 4 years old having access to these gadgets, the potential benefits of technology coexist with many possible risks. One such risk is the growing global issue of myopia. TikTok, a mobile application that gained immense popularity since its inception in 2016, has garnered 1.7 billion active monthly users in 2023 and is expected to reach two billion in 2024. A significant portion of TikTok’s user base consists of adolescents, with approximately 41% falling in the 16–24 age group and a third aged 14 or younger. This social media platform has given rise to the phenomenon of “internet challenges,” where users complete and share various tasks through videos. While most of these challenges are harmless, some pose serious risks to teenagers who eagerly seek validation and attention from their peers. This manuscript sheds light on a specific subset of TikTok challenges, namely those related to ophthalmological risks. These challenges include “rubbing castor oil trend,” “bleach/bright eye challenge,” “mucus fishing challenge,” “eggsplosions”, “beezin challenge”, “Orbeez challenge”, “blow-drying eyelashes”, “sun gazing,” and “popping styes”. The manuscript emphasizes the importance of monitoring and regulating potentially dangerous content on social media platforms like TikTok. While these platforms offer educational opportunities, they can also promote life-threatening actions, necessitating efforts to protect vulnerable young users and promote safe online engagement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:15:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-304f9caad36f4275ac483167cabe3d5c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2193-8245 2193-6528 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:15:53Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Adis, Springer Healthcare |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ophthalmology and Therapy |
| spelling | doaj.art-304f9caad36f4275ac483167cabe3d5c2024-03-05T17:53:52ZengAdis, Springer HealthcareOphthalmology and Therapy2193-82452193-65282024-02-0113489590210.1007/s40123-024-00885-3An Emerging Ophthalmology Challenge: A Narrative Review of TikTok Trends Impacting Eye Health Among Children and AdolescentsSally Al Hassan0Alaa Bou Ghannam1Joanna S.Saade2Department of Ophthalmology, American University of Beirut Medical CenterDepartment of Ophthalmology, American University of Beirut Medical CenterDepartment of Ophthalmology, American University of Beirut Medical CenterAbstract In today’s digital age, children and teenagers are deeply entrenched in the world of personal electronic devices including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. These serve as gateways to captivate online content. With children as young as 4 years old having access to these gadgets, the potential benefits of technology coexist with many possible risks. One such risk is the growing global issue of myopia. TikTok, a mobile application that gained immense popularity since its inception in 2016, has garnered 1.7 billion active monthly users in 2023 and is expected to reach two billion in 2024. A significant portion of TikTok’s user base consists of adolescents, with approximately 41% falling in the 16–24 age group and a third aged 14 or younger. This social media platform has given rise to the phenomenon of “internet challenges,” where users complete and share various tasks through videos. While most of these challenges are harmless, some pose serious risks to teenagers who eagerly seek validation and attention from their peers. This manuscript sheds light on a specific subset of TikTok challenges, namely those related to ophthalmological risks. These challenges include “rubbing castor oil trend,” “bleach/bright eye challenge,” “mucus fishing challenge,” “eggsplosions”, “beezin challenge”, “Orbeez challenge”, “blow-drying eyelashes”, “sun gazing,” and “popping styes”. The manuscript emphasizes the importance of monitoring and regulating potentially dangerous content on social media platforms like TikTok. While these platforms offer educational opportunities, they can also promote life-threatening actions, necessitating efforts to protect vulnerable young users and promote safe online engagement.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40123-024-00885-3Pediatric ophthalmologySocial mediaTiktok |
| spellingShingle | Sally Al Hassan Alaa Bou Ghannam Joanna S.Saade An Emerging Ophthalmology Challenge: A Narrative Review of TikTok Trends Impacting Eye Health Among Children and Adolescents Ophthalmology and Therapy Pediatric ophthalmology Social media Tiktok |
| title | An Emerging Ophthalmology Challenge: A Narrative Review of TikTok Trends Impacting Eye Health Among Children and Adolescents |
| title_full | An Emerging Ophthalmology Challenge: A Narrative Review of TikTok Trends Impacting Eye Health Among Children and Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | An Emerging Ophthalmology Challenge: A Narrative Review of TikTok Trends Impacting Eye Health Among Children and Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Emerging Ophthalmology Challenge: A Narrative Review of TikTok Trends Impacting Eye Health Among Children and Adolescents |
| title_short | An Emerging Ophthalmology Challenge: A Narrative Review of TikTok Trends Impacting Eye Health Among Children and Adolescents |
| title_sort | emerging ophthalmology challenge a narrative review of tiktok trends impacting eye health among children and adolescents |
| topic | Pediatric ophthalmology Social media Tiktok |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s40123-024-00885-3 |
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