As Tiktok continues to rise in the world of social media, (it’s the most downloaded app on the internet today with almost 500 million active users worldwide), we thought we would speak to 5 prominent London based digital creators; Hana, Nadim, Ameziane, Apple and Arthur, to see what they have to say as young people with platforms on the booming app.

HANA @hana4li

Hana is an 18-year-old digital creator from a Somali background currently living and studying politics in London.

“During the pandemic when everyone was in lockdown I got extremely bored and started posting storytimes. I guess from then it was a very quick and overwhelming rise when I realised a lot of people were engaging with my videos”

instagram: @hana4li

How would you describe the type of content you put out and what inspires it?

I normally do funny videos where I tell storytimes and rant about things like every teenager, and people are able to relate to that kind of stuff. I think we forget that as teenagers when we feel like nobody else is going through similar stuff, you can go on the internet and find about 100 other kids going through the same kind of issues so I like to make it light-hearted and remind people that they aren't alone. Also, I believe my videos quite accurately represent me as a messy person, but this is probably owed to the fact that I'm growing up and also doing it online where people are able to see what I go through, making this whole thing even more real

What’s it like being a young person on TikTok with a platform?

Since I'm only 18 and I have a lot of eyes on me I think my only responsibility is to show people comfort in the fact that it's okay to be a mess. Way before TikTok, Instagram was one of the most used apps but it was literally used to show off the best version of yourself which wasn't real at all and just made everyone feel so much worse since they were comparing their everyday messy self to someone's filtered and best version online. With TikTok you can have a full breakdown and people will like it because they go through the same thing and it's comforting. While apps like Instagram still have a chokehold over people and bring us down at times, TikTok allows people like me to bring comfort to the fact that its okay to be a mess 

Let’s talk about the platform in general. A lot of people believe it’s a revolutionizing app for young people. What do you think?

This past year or two TikTok has most definitely been revolutionary. It's become a platform for people to showcase a fight for human rights and political activism while also teaching thousands of kid topics that would be sugar-coated or put aside in a normal classroom. For example, the Black Lives matter movements and the events in Palestine. Many people I went to school with didn't understand the severity of these things that are going on in our day and age because schools aren't teaching kids these kinds of things. It's crazy to think an app like Tiktok is able to do such a tremendous impact especially since the kids using it are so young. 

What does making TikTok’s mean for you?

Growing up there was such a lack of representations of young POC influencers or even Muslim influencers but now im so glad that tiktok provides a space for anyone and especially young POCs to showcase their talents even if its makeup, storytelling or any kid of videos. I dont think anyone understand that how happy i get when i see kids my age being able to dm and say how crazy it is that they feel like we are the same person. Especially since im a somali muslim women, while i make comdeic videos majority of my followers understand that tiktok isnt my entire life and that education is a priority for me. I think this is my most relatable aspect since I'm literally going through the exact same thing at 80% of my followers who are young girls struggling to juggle a social life and school. I don't think of myself as some kind of ‘tiktok influencer’ but literally on online bestfriend.

NADIM @nadimalmak

Nadim is a 21-year-old digital creator from a Yemini and Somali background currently living in East London.

“It was lockdown and I wanted to try something new besides Instagram and YouTube. Plus it takes like 2 minutes to make TikTok.

My content is natural. It’s funny and organic, doesn’t feel forced at all and I guess I like it like that because it makes me feel like I’m not faking anything”

Instagram: @nadimalmk

What’s it like being a young person on TikTok with a platform?

It’s cool having a platform at this age but I fear for the younger generation. My sister has TikTok and is growing on it on a daily and I’ve seen how people are. It’s a cruel world we live in but I hope it doesn’t affect her in the future. Even if it somehow does, I’ll be by her side.

Let’s talk about the platform in general. A lot of people believe it’s a revolutionizing app for young people. What do you think?

I just think the app is fun. You get to see different things every day and it only takes 15 seconds to watch something and die of laughter.

What does making TikTok’s mean for you?

It means a lot. I feel like I’m genuinely having fun.

AMEZIANE @ameziane

Ameziane is a 23-year-old Algerian digital creator currently based in London.

“I only started creating content to help the page I started,@sonderldn, gain more exposure - but it kinda got out of hand.

My content is mostly humour but it only shows one side of me. It’s still me as a person but it doesn’t represent who I am as a whole.”

Instagram: @ai.ssoui

What’s it like being a young person on TikTok with a platform?

I feel like I don’t really deep that I have a growing platform and with that, I don’t have much of a sense of responsibility in general. I think today it helps to have a social media presence as it opens a lot of doors but the pressure of potentially having so many eyes on you can be difficult to deal with.

Let’s talk about the platform in general. A lot of people believe it’s a revolutionizing app for young people. What do you think?

I think it provides people with a lot of opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have had, but that’s just for the creators - for the consumers (younger people anyway) I think it does come with certain harms.

What does making TikTok’s mean for you?

For me it’s all just about growing my platform and brand - I just wanna get to a stage where I can make change and inspire and creating content on TikTok could provide the means to do so at scale in the future.

APPLE @urfavfruit

Apple is a 20-year-old digital creator currently based in London focusing on her modelling career.

“I remember my sister started making TikTok at the beginning of 2019 and I would always make fun of her for it. Very soon though I downloaded it to see what all the fuss was about and I was immediately addicted. I made a few small dance/ trend videos and posted them partly as a joke but realistically it was because I wanted that mystical Tiktok stardom. I was super secretive about my account until one of my videos hit 250k views and everyone at my school saw it. After that, I started posting much more. The buzz of a viral video is incredibly addictive.”

Instagram: @applesershi

How would you describe the type of content you put out and what inspires it?

I tend to post whatever I feel like. Sometimes I follow the new trends, post makeup videos, singing videos, attempt comedy and sometimes just daily life vlogs. Depends on what mood I’m in I guess. Because of that, I would say that my account is a relatively authentic representation of myself. But at the end of the day, it’s social media and will never be wholly realistic.

What’s it like being a young person on TikTok with a platform?

For me, Tiktok has been incredibly rewarding in many ways. This is mostly due to the contacts I have made through it. Lots of people have seen me on their ‘For You’ page and reached out on Instagram for shoots. I don’t think I would be signed to a modelling agency now if it wasn’t for Tiktok. In terms of negatives, I think Tiktok can often be quite stressful. Once you have a viral video, it’s easy to feel the pressure to come out with your next great video and to one-up yourself. I’ve had moments where I’ve genuinely been upset about my videos not doing as well because I feel like I’m failing.

Let’s talk about the platform in general. A lot of people believe it’s a revolutionizing app for young people. What do you think?

I think something really revolutionary about Tiktok is the much higher ratio of viral videos. It’s a lot easier to gain views and followers on Tiktok than on other social media platforms like YouTube or Instagram. I like this aspect of it because it means that, generally speaking, good videos will get recognition. I think it’s given a lot of great people a platform and connected the youth across the world through comedy, dance, music, art and politics.

What does making TikTok’s mean for you?

I’m incredibly grateful for the people I have met and the opportunities I have been given but, for me, Tik Tok is just a little creative outlet that I like to have fun on.

ARTHUR @arthurhill69

Arthur is a 22 year old digital creator currently undertaking a film degree in London.

“I started out of boredom in the Christmas lockdown and carried on from there!

Small funny sketches based around impressions, I’m always portraying some kind of character in my videos.”

Instagram: @arthurnfhill

What’s it like being a young person on TikTok with a platform?

It’s a great feeling having your content seen by so many people and it's something that I have always wanted to do. I do get anxious whenever I post a video as I want to do as well as the previous ones.

Let’s talk about the platform in general. A lot of people believe it’s a revolutionizing app for young people. What do you think?

I wouldn't say it’s revolutionary, I think it came at the right time and filled a gap in the market for short form video. Young people’s attention spans are getting shorter and it definitely caters to that.

What does making TikTok’s mean for you?

I’ll never forget how excited I got when my first few videos went viral. It’s hard not to just chase numbers now but I will always enjoy entertaining people and making content. Tiktok has given me the chance to potentially do that for a living and I am grateful for it.