*originally appearing in satirical April 1 edition

A Tik Tok outbreak is upon us and parents around the globe are questioning the app’s ulterior motives. Is this newfound preteen-dominated app really just for laughs? Or is it tapping into our adolescence’s brains using subliminal messages? Parents are speculating. Here’s the scoop on why parents believe Satan has a hand in this trendy “innocent” app. 

To get a deeper insight into what parents believe Tik Tok really is, we asked the moms themselves. But not just any moms, but the moms of the sacred and private Facebook groups, “Dripping Springs Neighbors” and “Moms of Drip.” To keep their group private, they asked us to keep their names anonymous, so we’ll be changing the names of the parents we interviewed. 

“I heard Tik Tok is corrupting the youths of today,” Karen Smith said. “The dances that are spreading on this app are inappropriate and provocative.” 

It seems in the eyes of Generation X Tik Tok is the new rock and roll. They seem to believe that this video app is sending corruptive messages to the younger generations. A lot of users are posting to play songs backward on Snapchat, and some parents believe this is a satanic hoax to get kids listening to a subliminal message. 

“The songs that are being played are influencing my daughter to dress in a less modest and more trampy way,” says Susan Johnson. “I won’t allow her to download it again, there are tons of weirdos on there…”

While Johnson blames her daughter’s hussy behavior on this new app, other parents can’t help but agree that their children are acting out in strange and sort of demonic way. 

“My child won’t stop saying, ‘renegade’ and doing this disturbing romp,” Linda Cox said. “It’s like she’s been brainwashed into this ritual…” 

Some parents have even done further research:

 “The word renegade actually means, ‘a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles’” Kathy Coleman said. “How mortifying? This app is insinuating a revolution, mark my words!” 

There seem to be many trends on TikTok, and the thirst for fame can be accounted for as one of the top. The use of the hashtags “#fyp” and “#foryoupage” are being used to get user’s uploads more views and exposure. Although parents seem to believe this is a code for something more malicious. 

“I heard #fyp stands for ‘for your pentagram/pentacle,’” Tracy Willams said. “It’s obviously just another way the app is hiding menacing content from parents. The whole app is a hoax that kids are being tricked into.” 

So as we can see, parents are very concerned about this new and trendy app. They seem to believe that this app gives off a facade of innocence and fun, but it’s true colors are malicious and deceiving, just like Satan himself. Many moms are saying the app is leading more and more youths down a dark path. The question is, do we listen to mom this time?

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By Maddie Lewis, Staff Writer

Featured photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash