U of Cincinnati research: TikTok “helps” perpetuate gang culture

Remember a couple of years ago when everyone was having a meltdown about TikTok?

Yeah… well, a lot can change in a few years. These days, almost no one talks about the dangers of TikTok, specifically, at all.

A new study from John Leverso, assistant professor in the UC School of Criminal Justice, might change that– and help add weight to calls for Congress to pass legislation aimed at protecting kids online or even straight-up blocking their access to social media:

The study analyzes 397 public TikTok videos associated with Latino gangs in Chicago to address four key areas: the genres of gang-related content; the extent to which these genres are circulated to the public; the perceived authenticity of the posts; and how performances on the tool complicate interpretations of offline identity.

[…]

[T]his study suggests that digital environments do not merely reflect gang culture, but also they help it continue.

“Continue.” Sounds like a synonym for “perpetuate.”

Crime and kids online both remain hot button issues, even if concerns about TikTok specifically being a vehicle for Chinese Communist Party influence have waned (partly thanks to the app’s sale).

Don’t be surprised if you start seeing Jon Husted and Marcy Kaptur mouthing off about this. There are at least two bills in Congress that could minimize minors’ access to TikTok– the Kids Online Safety Act and the App Store Accountability Act.

Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Scalise reportedly oppose the former, but their views on the latter are unknown.

Both could be expected to move with a Democratic takeover of the House.