Scott Tibbs



Young teen girls should not be TikTok celebrities

By Scott Tibbs, June 1, 2022

Many people commended a father who killed a man who was stalking his 14 year old daughter, when that man came to his house with a shotgun. It was indeed a heroic thing, and on that day the father fulfilled the charge given to him by God to protect his family. But if we truly care about protecting teenage girls, we have to speak some uncomfortable truths. Also, I am intentionally not mentioning names or linking to articles. I will not encourage this behavior by contributing to the girl's fame or her business.

This should be common sense: Young teenage girls should not be cultivating "fans" on the Internet. The girl in question makes quite a bit of money through social media, and can earn well over one thousand dollars for every TikTok video she uploads. We should let kids be kids, not celebrities. We have child labor laws for a good reason, and pushing a 14 year old girl into Internet fame and wealth is no less exploitative than having her work in a clothing factory. It is simply a different type of exploitation.

The father showed admirable bravery in protecting his daughter from a dangerous man, but the fact remains that he failed to protect her from being exploited by greedy corporations. Parents have been warned of the dangers of the Internet for 25 years. Do those warnings suddenly not apply when a 14 year old girl can earn tens of thousands of dollars on TikTok? Beyond the exploitation, encouraging her pride is a terrible thing for her soul and puts her in much worse danger than can be presented by a stalker. God resists the proud, and greed is idolatry. (See James 4:6 and Colossians 3:5.)

Protect your children's privacy and protect their souls from the sin of self-worship. Do not allow this behavior. There will be plenty of time for them to grow a business or even become a celebrity when they are adults.



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