TikTok returns

The enthusiasm with which the restoration of TikTok has been received in the country demonstrates just how popular it is, especially among low-income families and the youth amongst them. The Pakistan government decided to lift the ban imposed on October 9 after long engagement with the Chinese, where the app originates from. There has been an agreement, according to China and the PTA, that any account airing continuously offensive or obscene content will be removed.

The app has brought forward talent of many kinds and provides enjoyment, most often of the innocent kind, to thousands of people everywhere in the country. In case anyone needs to be reminded, this is the age of social media. And it is hardly surprising that so many young people should have turned to TikTok to air their content on it in various forms. We have entire short skits, written and directed by youth groups, which are put up on TikTok as well as other material. While there is a lot of talk about the demerits of social media of late, these apps also have merits. It's just all in the question of how they're used or misused. Banning an app will not solve this problem. The issue is a wider one and needs to be addressed through education and awareness. The reality however is that everywhere in the world, people can use them for both harm and for good. We can only work to encourage society to do more good rather than to inflict damage on anyone. This will not be an easy task immediately. Yes, there is content on TikTok that is not acceptable to many households, or at least some households.

There's also the question of the impact of social media on a generation that has grown up with it with neurologists speaking about low attention spans and a reduced ability to focus. But TikTok alone cannot be held responsible for this, and banning it will not help anyone. In an entertainment and activity started country, TikTok has brought forward its own breed of stars. These are stars very different to those we see in the mainstream. We now need to find a way to teach people to use it responsibly so that good citizenship can be encouraged while parents also monitor how their children are behaving over this app and others.