What happened to Musical.ly?

Musical.ly launched in 2014. In November 2017, it was acquired by ByteDance, a Beijing-based media and tech company, for a reported $1 billion. At the time, ByteDance already owned a similar app, TikTok, which had launched in China in 2016. According to Reuters—Musical.ly had 100 million monthly active users (who called themselves “Musers”), and Tik Tok had 500 million users in Asia. In fact, TikTok was also the most downloaded iOS app in the first quarter of this year, per market research. So, in early August, TikTok absorbed Musical.ly—all user accounts and videos were moved to TikTok, and the app formerly known as Musical.ly ceased to exist.

What is TikTok?

App Store Description: “TikTok is a global video community. We make it easy for you to watch awesome short videos AND you can also make your own videos by capturing those funny and memorable moments to share with the world. Spice up your videos with our special effects filters, fun stickers, and so much more. Life’s moving fast, so make every second count.” (Apple App Store Link)

Category: Photo & Video

Although the App Store rates TikTok for children 12+, the app’s creator recommends users be age 13+. The app isn’t classified as social media, but it still must comply with COPPA and underage data collection. Even a 13-year-old middle school student is potentially at risk using this app unless parents are well aware of the various problems.

What are teens doing on TikTok?

Musical.ly was primarily a lip-syncing app. The user, known as a “muser,” could make a 15-second looped video of themselves singing their favorite song. Tik Tok has evolved to a broader social-media and entertainment platform with dancing, comedy, and other “shows.”

After you download TikTok and open it on your phone, a video will start playing right away without you even selecting one. To explore further, ...