by Lizzy Hermosilla ’23

TikTok has become a very popular social media platform prone to oversharing. With the app being so popular among Gen-Z, some of the material very quickly becomes toxic and triggering. Some of the trends this year glorify the idea of mental illness as “quirky” or an “aesthetic.” Some of these trends include online quizzes comparing you to certain Winnie the Pooh characters, like Eeyore for depression. At the beginning of quarantine, a series of videos idealizing eating only 1,200 calories per day became a common occurrence on one’s “For-You-Page.” These videos then morphed into teenage girls posting that they only drank and ate an iced coffee and a small snack for the entire day. Currently, teens are finding aesthetics in being a cutter, having ADHD, or even going to a mental hospital.

TikTok has twisted today’s generation, making mental illness a competition and depression a desirable lifestyle. This competition can cause people recovering from eating disorders or self-harm to relapse because getting better no longer feels worth it. It is not normal to stay in your bed for weeks on end. It is not normal to work out all day then eat the recommended amount of food for a toddler. It is not normal to boast mental illness, nor should it ever be. TikTok needs to do more to prevent attention-seeking teens from romanticizing their mental illnesses before it is too late.