tiktok https://www.sheknows.com All Things Parenting Thu, 05 Jun 2025 20:07:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://www.sheknows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-sk-fav-icon.png?w=32 tiktok https://www.sheknows.com 32 32 149804645 TikTok Banned #Skinnytok — But the Pressure on Teen Girls Just Rebranded https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234888279/tiktok-bans-skinnytok/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234888279/tiktok-bans-skinnytok/#respond Thu, 05 Jun 2025 19:59:03 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234888279 TikTok just made a move aimed to help protect teen girls’ mental health — but it feels like too little, too late. The social media app announced that they banned the hashtag “SkinnyTok” from being searched worldwide after pressure from European policymakers.

What Is SkinnyTok?

According to Politico, the TikTok ban happened because of the popularity of “SkinnyTok,” with young women promoting extreme diets and weight loss tips. “[We] have blocked search results for #skinnytok since it has become linked to unhealthy weight loss content,” TikTok spokesperson Paolo Ganino said in a statement Monday.

SheKnows Teen Council Member Juliet wrote an essay about how SkinnyTok has had an influence on her and her friends. Like ahead of prom, when a friend told her she was “prepping” by running daily and eating only a protein bar and small dinner.

girl recording video on phone
Credit: Sasha Kim/Pexels Sasha Kim/Pexels

“I asked her how she got this idea, and she showed me a video on SkinnyTok,” Juliet wrote. “After watching the video that inspired my friend, I was hooked on this account. I scrolled through for an hour, looking at all this woman’s tips and tricks. And when I got up to look in the mirror afterwards, I was about twenty pounds heavier than I was twenty minutes earlier — or at least, that’s how it felt.”

It’s great that TikTok is making a move to discourage this behavior, but it’s not enough.

Diet Culture

As a survivor of the early 2000s-diet culture, I am intimately familiar with the harm an obsession with weight can do to teen and tween girls. We’ve had a run of body positivity that was encouraging for a time in the late 2010s, but it seems like society has made a full 360 turn back to promoting skinniness above all else.

This has been pushed largely by the popularity of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic that is being touted by celebrities — Megan Trainor even changed the lyrics of her positive “All About That Bass” lyrics change now that she more closely resembles the “stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll” standard that she once spoke out against. But outside of the celebrity world, real teens (and even grown women) are promoting the skinny standard online, especially on video-sharing platforms like TikTok.

plate with measuring tape
Credit: Elena Leya/Unsplash Elena Leya/Unsplash

A 2024 study found that it takes just 8 minutes for young women to be negatively affected by eating disorder content on TikTok. Eight minutes!? I’m shocked, but I’m not surprised. Seeing your friends and influencers talk about their obsessive health routines, the “toxic” foods they cut out from their lives, and the importance of fasting or doing extreme exercise routines — it’s hard to ignore that or not compare yourself to those impossible standards.

“Diet culture is a multi-billion dollar industry,” Sammi Farber, a psychotherapist, coach, and TikToker who specializes in helping clients recover from eating disorders, previously told SheKnows. “Children, young adults, and teens don’t realize that what they’re watching is quite literally brainwashing them in a matter of seconds.”

Now What?

Search “SkinnyTok” now, and you’ll be directed to resources like the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, per Teen Vogue. But something else will surely take its place, like when “suicide” was banned from searches, so people started writing and searched “unalived” instead.

What we need is a larger cultural shift away from “skinny is the golden standard” mindset. We need more diverse body representation, a bigger push on body acceptance, and conversations that call out harmful advice or ideas in the name of “health” or “wellness.” No, it’s not OK to drink coffee all day instead of eating. It’s not healthy or cute to starve yourself, and it definitely shouldn’t be normalized.

One 2024 study found that individuals with eating disorders were pushed an astonishing 4343% more toxic disordered eating videos than others, including 335% more dieting videos and 142% more exercise videos. Even though SkinnyTok is no longer allowed, the mindset behind it is, so it’s only a matter of time before a new trend takes its place. It’s like a game of whack-a-mole; as soon as you squash one thing, another pops up.

TikTokers are posting health or fitness “inspo” that basically glamorizes disordered eating. Like when they post about everything they eat in a day, or when they asked followers to share “their most unhinged diet tips” that include harmful behavior and tips on eating less to achieve a certain look. (I saw one that recommended you eat all your meals in a bikini to motivate you to eat less.) It’s scary. I’m not nearly as impressionable as a teen, but even I am susceptible to obsessing over the way my body looks and feeling shamed for eating whatever food is deemed unhealthy this week after being on TikTok.

It’s important for parents to talk to their teens and tween about body positivity, the dangers of eating disorders, and learning how to recognize (and call out!) toxic dieting trends. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, call the National Alliance for Eating Disorders confidential helpline at 866-662-1235.

These celebrity parents are raising strong, resilient daughters.

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Why the ‘Yes You Can’ TikTok Trend Has Parents of Tween & Teen Girls Sounding the Alarm https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234887372/yes-you-can-trend/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234887372/yes-you-can-trend/#respond Wed, 04 Jun 2025 15:02:23 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234887372 Some TikTok trends are silly and fun — like “holy airball!” — but others are downright concerning. Parents of teen and tween girls are sounding the alarm about a worrying new trend that one mom calls “grooming disguised as girl power.” If you have young girls at home, this is one you’ll want to be aware of immediately.

What Is the ‘Yes You Can’ Trend?

“This ‘yes you can trend’ isn’t just cringe, it’s dangerous,” TikToker Jill (@gracefullgrit) shared this week. Teens and tweens, she revealed, are posting videos on TikTok saying things like, “Can you sneak out at 2 a.m. to meet a guy twice your age? Yes, yes you can.” Or, “Can you get in his car though your gut says no? Yes, yes you can.”

“This isn’t empowerment. This is not cute,” Jill says in the video. “This is straight up predator bait.”

Apparently, these videos have millions of views with comments “full of girls cheering each other on, romanticizing risky behavior and literally encouraging one another to ignore every red flag,” she continues.

girl looking at her phone
Credit: Julia M Cameron/Pexels Julia M Cameron/Pexels

In the caption, Jill adds, “This isn’t a warning. It’s a wake-up call.”

Search “Yes You Can” on TikTok and you’ll find several videos from young girls promoting problematic behavior. Like “I can’t fw a 2013,” which either refers to someone born in 2013 (which would make them about 12-years-old now) or refers to a 13-year-old dating a 20-year-old (20/13).

How Parents Feel About This Trend

This trend is extremely worrying. Encouraging others to engage in dangerous behavior against their own gut instincts is not OK, and the fact that the videos are drawing supportive and positive comments from other teen and tween girls proves how much the trend is resonating with these girls. Parents are rightly alarmed about this.

“This is why I don’t let my kids have any type of social media,” one concerned mom wrote. Another commented, “Can you get grounded for your whole life? Yes! Yes you can!”

Still, others pointed out in the comments that these type of videos are “rage bait” or “satire.” Videos like these are intended to draw comments, even if they are criticisms, to increase views. This, in turn, can make the creators more money if their TikToks are monetized. Still, not every teen or tween is going to realize that this is intended to make people mad online and might take it as encouragement for doing these risky behaviors.

Many Teens Don’t Like It Either

Some teens are calling out this behavior. Like one girl who wrote, “as a 2007 being 17, and also being a 14-15 yr old making thirst traps, we should not be enabling this trend I feel like its calling to creeps and allowing the younger generations to overly sexualize themselves.”

Another girl posted that the trend “needs to stop.” They continued, “Like dawg im 13 and all I see are pick me ahh people doing it I agree that it’s weird and their literally promoting pedo but we’re NOT ALL LIKE THAT.”

Girls Are at Risk

Teen girls are already vulnerable to dangerous behavior. A CDC report found that nearly 3 in 5 US teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, with nearly 1 in 3 seriously considering attempting suicide; 1 in 5 reported experiencing sexual violence in the past year; and more than 1 in 10 reported being forced to have sex in the past. All of these numbers are up compared to prior years.

According to RAINN, 1 in 9 girls (and 1 in 20 boys) under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault, with 82% of all victims under 18 female. Additionally, females ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.

The last thing teen girls need is a trend that encourages them to fall for dangerous and abusive behavior, whether it’s intended to be a joke or not.  

Before you go, see what these celebs have said about the teachers who inspired them.

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‘Holy Airball’ Is a New Teen Slang Term That Actually Makes Sense https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234886985/holy-airball-teen-slang/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234886985/holy-airball-teen-slang/#respond Tue, 03 Jun 2025 14:56:11 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234886985 If you’ve been seeing “holy airball” (sometimes with an f-bomb thrown in the middle) all over TikTok, then you might feel a little lost. Is this new teen trend something dirty? Something confusing or complicated to explain like Gurt? It’s hard to keep up with the youths these days! Luckily for us, holy airball is a term that actually makes sense once it’s broken down.

What Is a Holy Airball?

One mom on TikTok @_bekahshopp20_ asked, “what tf does #holyfknairball mean? Like I feel extremely confused.” In the comments, people came through for her, explaining that an airball is a term used in basketball.

“An airball is when you shoot a basketball but it doesn’t go in/ it isn’t close to the net at all,” one person explained. “So the trend is about someone shooting their shot and being rejected (not making the shot). I hope that makes sense lol”

Another person explained, “in TikTok just like in basketball it means a misinterpretation or like a completely different thing from what ur talking about (basically a miss ).”

basketball net
Credit: Alex Perez/Unsplash Alex Perez/Unsplash

Know Your Meme explained that the term derived from expressions of shock like “holy cow,” using it to mean a huge misunderstanding of something another person told them. So in the trend, teens are sharing stories of how they are talking about something, and someone else completely misinterprets what they meant. It’s usually joking or exaggerated stories, accompanied by Jeezy’s “Soul Survivor” on TikTok and usually accompanied by pictures or videos of the receipts to make it even funnier.

Holy Airball Examples

Like this TikToker, who wrote, “told her I love cheating.” Then, “She said, ‘me too I cheated on my ex.’”

Then he shared a picture of his phone with test answers on it, showing that he was talking about cheating at school and not in relationships, adding “#holyfknairball”

Another girl wrote, “Told him I was going on a run. He said, ‘oh I love girls who do cardio.’”

She added, “Holy air ball … I’m going on a run for Taco Bell,” with a picture of her holding a bag of tacos.

Even celebrities have gotten in on the trend, like Julianne Hough. The Dancing with the Stars pro wrote, “Told him I like to dance. He said ‘oh cute, as a kid?’”

“#HOLYAIRBALL” she added, with a video montage of her professionally dancing now.

Other Teen Slang

Teen slang is confusing for those of us born in the 1900s, so we’ve compiled a handy guide of all things we’ve heard Gen Z saying online and IRL. Check out the list HERE for more head-scratching terms and their meanings (… as best as we can figure out!).

Before you go, check out how these celebrity parents’ tales about teaching their teens how to drive.

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'Get This!': Shoppers Say This $21 Under-Sink Organizer Helps You ‘Store Twice As Much’ https://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/2575542/spicy-shelf-under-sink-organizer/ https://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/2575542/spicy-shelf-under-sink-organizer/#respond Sun, 25 May 2025 19:21:05 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=2575542 If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

When it comes to organizing our homes, we’re always on the lookout for an affordable, easy-to-use product that’ll make our homes feel tidier. As we know, TikTok users love a good organizational product. One TikTok video that caught our eye was from an account called @ourfavoritefinds that raved about an under-sink organizer that looked super easy to put together. By the end, the under-sink area looked so nice and tidy that we knew we had to hunt this product down ASAP. 

It’s called the Spicy Shelf Expandable Under Sink Organizer and it’s an easy-to-assemble, customizable organizer that can help you make any messy under-sink area look tidy in a snap. Great for your kitchen or bathroom, this easy-to-use shelf lets you contour it to any length or width needed to use every inch of space.

Normally priced at $40, you can grab it today for just under $22 on Amazon.

Spicy Shelf: This Under-Sink Organizer Is Only $21 On Amazon

Spicy Shelf Expandable Under Sink Organizer and Storage

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Per the brand, all you have to do is attach the legs (with no tools needed) and adjust them to your liking.


Along with TikTok adoring the organization tool, Amazon shoppers can’t get enough of it. Over 7,4000 people have rated the Spicy Shelf organizer five stars and once you see the before and after photos, you’ll understand the hype.

One of the top reviews posted pictures of the product with the review saying, “The garbage disposal takes up so much space. This fits around it and I can now store twice as much under the sink.”

Another customer added that people should get the cleverly designed tool, saying: “I am impressed by the design. The height is adjustable, and [the] width of the shelf is adjustable, and the arms are adjustable! Easy to assemble. Took me longer to rearrange my cabinet than [to] assemble it. Get this!”

So if one of your New Year’s resolutions was to tidy up, the Spicy Shelf is about to help you get your kitchen or bathroom sink in tip-top shape. Grab it now while it’s on sale for nearly 50 percent off.

For more home decorating inspiration, check out these best spots to buy home decor online:

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Meghan Markle Shared This Telling Interaction With Flight Crew & It’s Going Viral https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1234883487/meghan-markle-interaction-with-flight-crew/ https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1234883487/meghan-markle-interaction-with-flight-crew/#respond Fri, 23 May 2025 19:52:06 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234883487 Over the years, there’s been much speculation about how Meghan Markle is as a boss. While she and husband Prince Harry vehemently denied the staff bullying allegations in 2021, rumors of how Markle is behind closed doors have continued since.

But, most recently, her interaction with flight crew members has shown more proof to her side of things. According to American Airlines flight attendant Nina Vida, Markle was recently on her flight and was nothing but charming. “She was so beautiful in person, she was so sweet,” Vida said in her TikTok video.

She then revealed that together with her flight crew, she wrote a note to Markle and delivered it personally. “It’s a pleasure of serving you, we love you real bad,” the note read.

Then, in Markle fashion, she responded in perfect cursive handwriting. “Dear AA girlies, thank you for the love, hospitality and handwritten note — you know me well,” the Duchess of Sussex wrote on a napkin. “All love right back to you. As Ever, Meghan.”

In the comments, fans of Markle are freaking out over their sweet interaction. “That note!!! Laminate it, frame it, put it in a lock box at the bank! I would cherish it forever!” wrote one commenter. “Ahh lovely story. Always such nice feedback from people who meet her in person,” another user echoed. “Meghan is a true princess 🥰.”

Meghan Markle in 'With Love, Meghan'
Meghan Markle in ‘With Love, Meghan’ ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection.

As a reminder, the bullying allegations against Markle revolved around an October 2018 email written by Jason Knauf, Meghan and Harry’s former communications secretary. In the email, which was shared by The Times in 2021, claimed that Markle allegedly “drove two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staff member.”

At the time, Markle and Harry quickly denied the allegations. “Let’s just call this what it is—a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation,” a representative for the couple told The Times. “We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet. It’s no coincidence that distorted, several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining The Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and The Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years.”

“The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma,” the statement continued. “She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”

Markle then spoke of the accusations in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there’s an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” Markle said, per NBC.

Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s milestones since leaving the royal family. 

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Paris Hilton’s Son Phoenix Has an Eerie ‘Ghost’ Encounter — & Leaves His Mom Spooked https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234882639/paris-hilton-son-phoenix-ghost-encounter/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234882639/paris-hilton-son-phoenix-ghost-encounter/#respond Thu, 22 May 2025 15:44:20 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234882639 There’s a reason kids are at the center of some of the scariest horror films. They can be downright creepy! (If you’ve ever woken in the middle of the night to your child silently staring at you from the foot of your bed, then you know exactly what I mean.) Paris Hilton recently had an eerie encounter with her 2-year-old son Phoenix. He was convinced he saw a “ghost” in the house, and Hilton caught the odd (yet adorable!) moment on video.

Phoenix looks adorable in a blue dog shirt with shorts and a little friendship bracelet on his wrist in the new video on TikTok.  He stands in front of wallpaper that looks like a bookshelf with antique books and points to something in the corner. “There’s a ghost in there,” he tells his mom matter-of-factly.

Paris Hilton, Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum at the Third Annual Young Hearts Friends Fest at Museum of Ice Cream on January 28, 2025 in New York, New York.
Paris Hilton, Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum at the Third Annual Young Hearts Friends Fest at Museum of Ice Cream on January 28, 2025 in New York, New York. Stephanie Augello/Variety

He repeats it a few times, and Hilton asks, “Where’s the ghost?” He turns to the corner, trying to open a door next to him. “Where is the ghost, honey?” she asks again.

“Ghost! Ghost!” he responds, and we are officially freaked out. Hilton is too, writing in a note on the video, “so cute, yet so scary I can’t.”

Later, he casually leans against the bookshelf wall eating a snack, when he drops the bombshell of where the ghost is: “Mama’s room.” Noooooo! “What’s in Mama’s room?” Hilton asks, even though she knows the answer.

At one point, Phoenix opens the door next to him and leans into the doorway to look at the hallway beyond before looking back to his mom. “You saw?” she asks. “Ghost in door,” he answers.

“Where?” she asks.

@parishilton

Well, I’m spooked 🥺🩷 To all my SlivingMoms, has this happened with your little ones? Would love to know… for research purposes 👻✨

♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound

“Ghost in this door,” he answers. Then he just turns and silently stares out at the hallway as if he sees a spirit from beyond.

“Well, I’m spooked 🥺🩷” The Simple Life alum captioned the video. “To all my #SlivingMoms, has this happened with your little ones? Would love to know… for research purposes 👻✨”

In the comments, people were convinced that Phoenix was actually seeing a ghost. “💯 believe the babies … they see things we cant,” one person said.

Someone else wrote, “BELIEVE HIM. Kids his age don’t make that up. let me guess. is he 3 or almost 3 ?? That’s when they start to see them. I’m a Medium. He is being genuine.”

Others shared their experiences of their kids seeing odd things. “My son, Bentley, had several encounters when he was younger,” one person wrote. “He would never go in the kitchen when ‘the Man’ was in there. One time he even told my sister that her dad told him to tell her to be careful it was gonna rain. He’s never seen a pic of her dad and it did in fact start raining on her way home!”

That’s definitely eerie, and if we were Hilton, we would be freaked out too. (Especially if it’s in Mama’s room?!!)

Hilton, who shares Phoenix and daughter London, 18 months, with husband Carter Reum, has had a paranormal experience herself. In an interview with Nicole Richie for British Vogue, she shares that something spooky happened when she was visiting her grandma’s old house.

“We’re just like in the playroom, and a crown, like, started floating across the room,” Hilton shared.

“Because, supposedly, a girl who had lived there before, something happened in the driveway, like a hundred years ago,” Hilton went on. “And people would see her in the mirror, brushing her hair.”

“Sick!” Richie said. “Oh my god!”

“So scary,” Hilton added.

Maybe being slightly clairvoyant runs in the family? Either way, I would hire a ghostbuster immediately if I was Hilton.

Before you go, check out what these celebrity moms have to say about being mom-shamed.

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As a Teenage Girl, ‘SkinnyTok’ Makes Me Hate My Own Body https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234881090/skinnytok-teen-girls-body-image/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234881090/skinnytok-teen-girls-body-image/#respond Mon, 19 May 2025 14:22:26 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234881090 My friend’s room was pink, with dolls and flowers and a grand window overlooking Central Park. She had a poster that said “Chanel” above her bed, and a card above her desk that said, “Happy 13th!” We were lying on her bed on our stomachs, pink-painted toenails kicking in the air, wearing Brandy Melville tank tops and boy shorts. We’d watched the movie Thirteen the night before, and were scrolling through Pinterest photos of all the great ’90s models — Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Shalom Harlow — when she rolled over and put her phone down. “Ugh, I wish I looked like them!” she exclaimed. “If only I had a thigh gap.” To which I naively responded, “What’s that?”

She took me to the mirror and carefully compared our legs, pointing out how hers touched and mine didn’t — and since that day, I’ve kept careful tabs on the growing and shrinking of the negative space between my thighs. Four years later, it’s only gotten worse. Ever since I’ve found myself swept up in “SkinnyTok,” the stakes have become even higher: God forbid my thigh gap ever disappears. 

“SkinnyTok” and its other social media counterparts are the new faces of an age-old tradition when it comes to women and their weight. Society has had an obsession with our bodies for at least as long as there’s been media. In ancient times, women were sculpted; in medieval times, they were painted; in industrial times, they were stuffed into corsets; and in modern times, they are plastered on billboards and posted on our phone feeds. Recently, social media trends like SkinnyTok and Oatzempic have been gaining immense popularity.

SkinnyTok includes a wide variety of content, ranging from truly well-meaning diet and exercise tips to harmful content that preys on teen girls like me (and all the women whose bodies have been scrutinized their entire lives). On this platform, people share weight loss “tips” and their own journeys. Meanwhile, “Oatzempic” is a dietary hack; it means having oat-based diets, particularly blending oats with water and lime juice to promote weight loss. My FYP and algorithm know me well; I am a teen girl, and I see more than one of these videos a day. And it’s impossible for them not to infiltrate the culture around my eating and my friends. 

Prom is coming up, and just a few weeks ago, my friend told me that she was “prepping.” When I asked her to explain, she said that she was going on a run every day, and having only a protein bar and small dinner. I asked her how she got this idea, and she showed me a video on SkinnyTok. After watching the video that inspired my friend, I was hooked on this account. I scrolled through for an hour, looking at all this woman’s tips and tricks. And when I got up to look in the mirror afterwards, I was about twenty pounds heavier than I was twenty minutes earlier — or at least, that’s how it felt.

Most videos have pretty much the same message: Stories and hacks, often dangerous, on how to lose weight fast. Some videos are meant to serve as motivation. Just today, I watched a woman showing off her body on the treadmill, and the text over the video said, “Do it for the compliments. Do it for the jealous stares. Do it for the concerned looks.” Another video gives insight into how “skinny girls” live. “They view food as optional,” the woman explains, and then goes on to promote a type of jelly that has five calories and is as filling as a full meal — a jelly I tried for a few days before feeling like I was gonna puke.

Those sorts of videos make me feel gluttonous: The woman talking to me has no problem turning down food, and yet I feel as if I’m always stuffing it in my face. Even without an eating disorder, it’s difficult to look away from this content. I get up feeling the need to go to the gym or walk 20,000 steps or maybe skip dinner, and when I don’t do these things, I’m left feeling like a failure.

My friends and I share these videos with each other, spreading the content and falling victim to the perils. Thanks to SkinnyTok, my friends and I got the idea to count our calories in a shared notes app. Obsessively, I searched for the magic number attached to everything I ate during the course of any given day, and if my total got too high, it was time to call it quits. And yet no matter what I do, the message from the other side of the phone screen is clear: The “skinny lifestyle” is never going to be the one I’m leading, and my body is never going to look as good as theirs. 

Even without social media, the idea that girls can never be skinny enough would continue to infiltrate the teenage mind. But social media is particularly adept at spreading a message, and feeding into dark rabbit holes. Social media makes it all the easier to access this message and content; you no longer need to go looking for it, it finds you. It’s constantly in your face, telling you what you’re doing wrong and all the imperfections those wrong actions cause. 

To be sure, there are some truly helpful videos floating around the internet. I learned that, when I get a sweet tooth after dinner, it’s better to eat whipped cream and strawberries instead of ice cream; and I learned that portion control is always healthy, when done right. But most of what festers within trends around dieting never leads to anything good, because the line between healthy and dangerous is almost invisible — and the mind of a teenage girl is delicate, bordering on fragile, bordering on wired-like-a-booby-trap.

Social media is addictive enough, but content about food and weight is even more so. It’s hard to look away, and it turns into an obsession with just the slightest indulgence. What’s worse, too, is that we seek it out. Once one video on the subject pops up, we’re hungry for more. We want to be skinny, and we want to know exactly how to do it.  Everything talked about on SkinnyTok is like a carnival game designed to make us lose; if we girls don’t keep up with the diets and exercise, we surrender all of our progress. 

I wish I could go around eating whatever I want, whenever I want. And I know my friends do too, but society doesn’t allow for it, and social media keeps us in line. As if our own twisted consciences were not enough, we now have monitors in our pockets at every moment of every day, looking over our shoulders, inspecting our plates and our thigh gaps, and reprimanding us of our lapses. We are kids; we should be allowed the sweet indulgences of childhood. But instead, we’ve been tortured in our relationship with candy for almost as long as we’ve known just how good candy tastes.

Eating has always been a perilous equation for girls, but now — thanks to our phones — the equation has gotten even more lopsided against us. There is no way for us to go anywhere near the kitchen, or the refrigerator, without having to answer to our social media feeds. And as a result, our minds are as full of bad ideas as our stomachs are empty of meaningful calories.

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TikTok’s Newest Move Aims To Help Teens Get Better Sleep at Night https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234880605/tiktok-teens-sleep/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234880605/tiktok-teens-sleep/#respond Fri, 16 May 2025 19:24:45 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234880605 Teenagers are getting more tired — and it’s no surprise that phones play a role. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 77% of U.S. high school students in 2021 didn’t get their recommended 8 hours of sleep at night, which has prompted some high schools to teach critical sleep training classes. And now, the popular social media app TikTok is doing its part to help as well. The app announced Thursday that they are expanding its focus on prioritizing teens’ well-being by launching an in-app meditation guide that will be mandatory for those under 18 after 10 p.m.

The program is called Meditation in Sleep Hours, which will be turned on by default for teens and can be added for any user. It works like this: once the clock strikes 10 p.m., the app’s For You feed will be interrupted by a guided mediation exercise to encourage users to relax their mind and go to sleep. This meditation takes over your entire screen and plays music and calming words to help you relax. When TikTok did a feature test of this mandatory meditation, 98% of their teen users opted to keep the meditation experience on, which shows how much teens want help in getting better sleep.

girl sleeping
Polina/Pexels

In March,TikTok launched a Time Away feature that allows parents to block their teens from being on TikTok during certain times (like bedtime). “Teens can request extra time, but parents make the final decision,” the company said in a press release, adding that everyone under 18 will automatically have a 1-hour daily screen time limit. TikTok also gave parents the ability to see who their teen is following, who follows back, and who their teen has blocked.

“TikTok has responded to calls from both youth and their families for more tools that will help them support their wellbeing while using the app,” Dr. Vicki Harrison, a member of TikTok’s Content Advisory Counsel and Program Director for Stanford’s Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing, said in a statement. “Prioritizing sleep, balanced usage and more parent-teen interactions around social media use are all positive steps that I hope we see more of.”

According to the Pew Research Center, 6 in 10 teens use TikTok daily, with 16% admitting to being on it “almost constantly.” It’s no surprise they might need a little help turning off their devices!

Theo, 15, who is part of SheKnows’ Teen Council, told SheKnows in April that he could see the silver lining if the app was actually banned.

“Do I wish it would be banned for my mental health and time management? Low-key, yeah, ‘cause I think I spend way too much time on TikTok,” he said. “Doing other stuff in the time I’m spending on TikTok would just be so much better for me. Reading or eating … just not being on a screen and scrolling for hours.”

According to the Sleep Foundation, using electronic devices for long periods during the day and night (especially for adolescents) can make it harder to sleep. The organization recommends not having screens for at least an hour before bed, sleeping with all electronic devices in another room, and spending less time on electronic devices in general.

For teens who are night owls, TikTok’s latest move will make it that much easier to follow these recommendations.

Before you go, check out these celebrities who have shared their technology rules for their kids.

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What Is ‘Gurting’? The Teen Slang Term That Actually Is (Somewhat) Related to Yogurt https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234880502/gurting-teen-slang/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234880502/gurting-teen-slang/#respond Fri, 16 May 2025 15:12:33 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234880502 Trying to understand things your Gen Z (and increasingly, Gen Alpha) kids say is a lose-lose situation. When they first start saying it, there’s almost no way you can figure it out by context clues. When you finally do learn the definition, it’s suddenly not cool at all anymore. It’s the circle of life! Still, we do our best to help figure out the obscure meanings of popular slang, and one of the latest we’ve heard teens saying is “gurting” or “gurt.” It sounds like the world “yogurt,” and it’s actually tied — albeit loosely — to the popular breakfast food.

In a time of memes, TikToks, and constantly-evolving internet culture, teen slang moves at breakneck speed. So to understand “gurting,” you first have to look back at a (practically-ancient!) meme from all the way back in 2012. This is a joke with someone saying “yogurt,” and a character named Gurt responds, “Yo” as a pun on the word. This meme went viral in 2025, per Know Your Meme, thanks to videos by Juggtok — and from there, evolved even further.

The outlet pointed to an April 2025 TikTok, explaining “new underground slang word” referring to gurting. This user defined it as: “When you do something that’s very smart but also very dangerous.” People used this phrase/definition in videos of animals doing smart, yet dangerous things (risking it for the biscuit, if you will). Now, teens will say they are “gurting” when they do something smart and dangerous.

Now, back to the original “Gurt: Yo” definition of the word. Teens will now make videos or memes, where instead of the character “Gurt” responding “Yo,” he has other responses, like SYBAU, which stands for “shut your b—h a—up” or “What’s up twin?” It’s all very convoluted and confusing.

Educators, like TikTok’s Mr. Lindsay, hears his students saying “gurt” or “gurting” too, but he also has no idea what it really means. It’s so perplexing that even other teens seem confused by this one.

As a millennial who used to participate in the “planking” trend (where you laid flat across various, random surfaces and filmed yourself), I have no room to talk. By the time you wrap your head around gurt, they’ll have moved on to something new anyway!

These celebrity parents are sharing the struggle — and sweetness — of raising teenagers.

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Behind the 6-7 Trend — The Viral Song It Came From & Why Your Tween Loves To Say It on Repeat https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234880234/what-is-six-seven/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234880234/what-is-six-seven/#respond Thu, 15 May 2025 21:32:58 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234880234 If you feel like you’re always behind the eight ball when it comes to keeping up with and understanding your t(w)een’s latest slang, chances are you’re currently feeling like you’re behind the, ahem, “six seven” ball. (Boo! Terrible Dad Joke, I know.)

One of the latest phrases used by teens — like “Italian brainrot” and “aura farming” — is “six seven” or, as it’s sometimes written, “6-7.” And no, that’s not a math problem that tweens are referencing when they chant the numbers on repeat.

The “six seven” trend has everything to do with the song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla. The rap has become a popular audio in TikTok videos and Instagram Reels because of the lyric “6-7,” which could be referencing 67th Street in Chicago and Skrilla’s background.

Saying “six seven” became especially trendy after videos of NBA player LaMelo Ball with “Doot Doot” playing over it started going viral. Why Ball, you ask? Because the Charlotte Hornets player is (you guessed it!) 6′ 7.” Videos with people saying “six seven” (intentionally or otherwise) also get hit with an edit, and other basketball players are even getting in on the joke.

Between the catchy song, the sporty connection, and the funny edits, it’s no wonder the meme has exploded the way it has. The phrase has been spreading like wildfire over social media and among t(w)eens. If their phone is at 67 percent, you know what they are thinking, and if they get a 67 on a test, at least they have an excuse to say “six seven!”

Speaking of tests, the phrase has even infiltrated classrooms. One middle school teacher hilariously explained on TikTok how his students find ways to say it constantly. Another teacher joked that she would be “taking a vow of silence” after she mistakenly got involved.

“My 7th graders just asked me to add 43 + 24,” she wrote over a video where she looked beyond annoyed. “I fell for it.”

Because as soon as that teacher said 67, she must have been met with a chorus of “six seven!”

And to the people on TikTok who are wondering, “Am I officially old if I don’t understand it?” No, you’re only officially old once you turn (say it with me!) 67.

Before you go, check out these celebrity kiddos who love sports.

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