Tiktok, one of the most influential cultural forces on campus, is impacting students' language, interactions, and self-expression. Over the first semester, various trends stemming from Tiktok have spread quickly among students, creating a universal dialect among many adolescents. References to recent trends regularly creep into conversations and social spaces, and can sometimes even reach faculty. However, although these internet trends may positively enhance the community, TikTok trends can also present a risk to young adults.
Tiktok trends tend to spread quickly within the school, often moving through sport teams, dorms, and friend groups within days. Students incorporate these Tiktok trends into their daily routines and conversations, sometimes without even realizing. Chase Collins ’28 described “the younger kids in [his] dorm” as “all ‘brainrotted’,” a term used to reference teens who know most of the popularized internet slang. He remarked on the frequency of the popularized “6-7” joke in everyday interactions, and also added that the trend shows up in his sports team often, explaining that “[he] and one of [his] teammates have a 6-7 handshake.” Some trends show up repeatedly in social spaces and embed themselves into daily conversation, while others have shorter lifespans. Regardless, the speed of these trends’ spreading around means that even students who do not actively scroll on Tiktok will recognize these jokes that circulate around campus, indicating how deep Tiktok has inserted itself in the student community.
Most students primarily use Tiktok as a source of humor. Students often share trending audios, memes, or videos with their friends, and these inside jokes become part of their conversation. Rather than posting some of these trends, most students view these trends simply for their own individual fun. “I thought the imposter trend was really funny, especially seeing the older people try it,” said Abe Laznik ‘29. Even students who do not create videos often enjoy the creativity they see on Tiktok.
The TikTok trends can also spark bonds between students who have little relationship otherwise. These trends acting as a common language, students from different grades can relate to each other through making the same joke or doing the same challenge. This gives students a topic to talk about even if they have never met before. For instance, as Collins said, “even if you don’t know someone well, if they say 6-7 you’ll get it.” These shared references could break down social barriers and provide a closer connection between students.
However, Tiktok’s influence at Milton is not entirely positive. Many trends create a constant pressure for students to stay updated, and some of the trends cause insecurity for students who do not often use Tiktok. Sam Dabora ‘28 claimed that “the trends just keep popping up and I can’t really understand them.” These trends could lead to stress or distraction, especially during academic-demanding periods, such as the two week stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas and exam week. Thus, some students choose to not interact with these Tiktok trends at all. As Dabora added, “most of the time they’re annoying because they’re just kind of weird,” explaining why he prefers to stay away from these trends.
Teachers have also begun to notice the appearance of Tiktok trends on campus, even if they do not often appear openly in class. English teacher Julian Spiro observed that the influence is mostly “in the jokes that kids are making to each other” and in the music students listen to, which often feels “downstream of what is popular on TikTok these days.” In addition, he pointed to the recent pep rally, where Head of School Dr. Alixe Callen included some recent Tiktok trends, such as “6-7,” an act that he described as a “lighthearted attempt to appeal to the youth.” Spiro claimed that normally students don’t really appreciate these attempts made by teachers. For instance, he said that “once I used the word ‘unc’ in class, and all my students were really upset and groaned loudly.” Acknowledging “how deep Tiktok trends have entered Milton culture,” Spiro ultimately views the platform as “evil” and “a distraction” that is “annoying” rather than fun or meaningful.
Positive or negative, Tiktok trends have gradually become a complex part of Milton’s culture. Spiro mentions that if this decline continues, “attention spans will torpedo and people will become stupider.” He adds that the quality of certain things like music and the art of dancing will hyperfocus on internet engagement, rather than a human form of expression and art.
However, he offers a solution to prevent this development. Spiro thinks “TikTok should be banned” and respects “Australia's banning of all social media for young teens” but adds that the banning should extend to older adolescents as well. To decelerate the loss of development in youth, he also urges creators to create “more interesting TikToks” that do not perpetuate content purely for the sake of media engagement.