The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA) has created the first, global test specifically designed to measure addiction to Tik Tok, one of the world’s most popular social media platforms especially among young users.
The Tik Tok Addiction Scale was developed by the Clinical Epidemiology Laboratory of the Nursing Department at EKPA, and consists of a quick, reliable and free 15-question test that takes less than five minutes to complete. Based on their answers, individuals are categorized into the six addiction dimensions: salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict and relapse.
The scale provides researchers with a focus on Tik Tok usage, one of the most popular platforms online with close to two billion active users worldwide. That means that globally, 20 percent of the population has a Tik Tok account, with higher usage in the United States (45 percent) and Europe (32 percent).
In Greece, more than 3.5 million users are on Tik Tok, with 33 percent of them under the age of 25. Greek users are on the platform for several hours per day, with 42 percent spending anywhere between two to four hours while 38 percent spend at least four hours daily on Tik Tok.
Though the test is not meant to diagnose individuals with problematic Tik Tok usage (which can only be done by qualified professionals), it can be used for the early identification of individuals at risk of addiction to the platform and support the development of prevention and intervention strategies. The scale has been published in several scientific journals, including AIMS Public Health.
The Tik Tok Addiction Scale is the result of research conducted by Associate Professor Petros Galanis, PhD candidate Aglaia Katsiroumpa, Laboratory Teaching Staff member Olympia Konstantakopoulou and post-doctoral candidate Ioannis Moysoglou.
Why an addiction test designed specifically for Tik Tok addiction had been essential
Tik Tok differs from other social media platforms both in the way that it operates but also in the ways that it cause an addiction. Some countries are debating even the ban of Tik Tok usage, especially among children and teenagers, given that recent studies have shown that aside from affecting their mental health, it can damage a user’s cognitive functions.
The way Tik Tok is structured by using simplified vertical scrolling, aims at multiplying the user’s engagement as much as possible. Moreover, the algorithm is uses impressively adapts the content to the user’s preferences, making it extremely addictive.
A recent study by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA), which has developed the addiction scale, reveals a connection between individuals over-using the platform and symptoms of anxiety, depression and sleeping problems.
According to the EKPA study, over 55 percent of the Tik Tok users who participated in the study said they had anxiety symptoms and over 31 percent depression symptoms. The higher the addiction, the study found, the more anxiety and depression symptoms among users were found. Moreover, women appear more prone to Tik Tok addiction (19,1 percent) than men (7,9 percent).
The study also found that the average time participants spent on Tik Tok was 2,7 hours while 16,9 percent of teenage users are at a high risk of addiction.
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