Why Kids Get Hooked Online

What if a computer program could decide which group your child belongs to?
That’s exactly what happened during TikTok’s viral Group 7 trend.

Kids all over the world proudly announced, “I’m Group 7!” without realizing the truth:
they didn’t choose the group — the algorithm chose them.

A creator posted seven short videos, and whichever one TikTok decided to show a child first became their “group.” Millions of kids joined in. They bonded over it. They identified with it. Some even built friendships and inside jokes based on this random label a machine assigned.

It sounds funny, and in many ways it was. But it also reveals something important about childhood today:
algorithms shape what kids see, what they think about, and sometimes even how they see themselves.

Kids spend so much time on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram that these platforms have become digital playgrounds. But unlike real playgrounds, every corner is shaped by an invisible program predicting what will hold their attention.

And it works.
Kids don’t stay online for hours because they’re “addicted to screens.”
They stay because screens are designed to keep them there.

Features like endless scroll, auto play, likes, and streaks aren’t harmless extras. They’re tools that reward the brain, especially a developing one. Kids get pulled into loops that affect sleep, mood, identity, and how they compare themselves to others.

Girls often feel pressure to look a certain way.
Boys often get caught in achievement loops in games.
And all of this is pushed by systems that learn exactly what keeps them hooked.

But here’s the hopeful part:
Kids don’t have to be powerless in digital spaces.

We can teach them how algorithms work, just like we teach them how traffic lights or ovens work. When children understand that apps are designed to influence their choices, they start paying attention in a new way. They get curious. They ask questions. They feel more control.

And many kids want healthier digital spaces. When they’re invited to speak up about what feels confusing, stressful, or overwhelming online, designers actually learn from them. Kids have perspectives adults miss.

Here’s what helps:

Talk about how apps decide what they see.
Simple language works: “The app guessed you’d like this video.”

Create predictable tech-free moments.
Meals, mornings, and bedtime are great for the nervous system.

Notice how screens make kids feel.
Not to shame them — but to build awareness.

Show them they’re allowed to question technology.
Kids feel empowered when they know digital systems aren’t magic.

Technology isn’t going away. But childhood doesn’t have to be controlled by algorithms. When adults understand what’s happening behind the screen — and help kids understand it too — children gain something far more powerful than any viral trend:

the ability to think for themselves in a world built to influence them.

Abidin, C., Gartland, C., & Grant, K. (2025). TikTok and children: TikTok Cultures Research Network and TikTok fireside chat. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 28(5), 1014– 1027. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779241307972

Columbia University Irving Medical Center. (2025, June). Addictive use of social media, not total time, associated with youth mental health. https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/addictive-use-social-media-not-total-timeassociated-youth-mental-health

De, D., et al. (2025). Social media algorithms and teen addiction. Frontiers in Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11804976

DiPlacido, D. (2025, October 27). TikTok’s “Group 7” meme, explained. Forbes.https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/10/27/tiktoks-group-7-memeexplained/

Explainable machine learning prediction of internet addiction among Chinese children and adolescents. Frontiers in Public Health. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1590689/full 9

Masri Zada, T., et al. (2025). The impact of social media and technology on child and adolescent mental health. Frontiers in Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12165459 OECD. (2024). Towards digital safety by design for children (OEC

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