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In the streets of Dakar, on the beaches of Mbour or in the lively areas of Thiès, a scene was imposed in the lives of young people: TikTok's.
This social network, once perceived as a simple dance or playback application, has become much more than an entertainment tool in Senegal.
Today, TikTok is a window on the world, a mirror where Senegalese youth contemplate, express, seek... and sometimes get lost.
An ultra-connected youth
Senegal is a young country. More than half of the population is under 20 years of age. It is a generation born with mobile phone in hand, accustomed to navigating between social networks from an early age.
In Dakar, it is not uncommon to see children aged 10 or 12 who own their own smartphone, with TikTok as daily companions.
The city is full of young creators, often self-taught, who shoot their daily life in Wolof, in a mixture of spontaneity, humour and cultural pride.
This dynamic is not unique to the capital. Across the country, even in rural areas where connections are less stable, TikTok's popularity continues to grow, driven by the rise of mobile Internet and lower access costs.
Mobile phones have become the main gateway to the digital world. All you have to do is a package, a little data, and the scene opens.
TikTok between unbridled creativity and disturbing drifts
TikTok has become a space of expression, business, claim... and sometimes transgression.
It is now in the raw light of the algorithm that new social stories are played.
But behind the effervescence, some phenomena raise real concerns. As visibility becomes a social capital, the boundary between expression and exhibition, influence and manipulation, authenticity and illusion, dangerously thin.
Body in the window: when youth exposes themselves without modesty
On TikTok, it's not uncommon to see teenagers, sometimes very young, filming themselves by dancing, singing or simply posing in a suggestive way.
Their gestures, their outfits, their way of speaking are often inspired by international trends, but decontextualized from any reflection on age, modesty or social perception.
In a country such as Senegal where modesty remains a strong value, this overexposure of bodies, especially of young girls, creates an unease. Because behind the apparent lightness of the videos is a race for validation: more views, more likes, more comments.
For some, this is the only way to « become someone », to attract attention in a world saturated with images.
This phenomenon raises several questions: Early sexualization, the loss of family benchmarks, but also the silence of adults in the face of these new forms of representation.
The trivialization of these content causes other young people to imitate, without understanding the stakes.
The algorithm does not judge: it amplifies what attracts.
Filters, or the reign of illusion
Could not talk about TikTok without mentioning massive and obsessive use of filters. A large majority of videos, especially among young women, are modified by effects that smooth the skin, enlarge the eyes, refine the nose, whiten the teeth... until making the face unrecognizable.
These images, posted day after day, install a visual standard impossible to achieve in reality. Some young girls end up not wanting to show themselves without a filter, even in their real life. Profile photos, videos, video calls: everything is calibrated.
The filter becomes a armor, a social mask, but also a trap. It feeds lack of confidence, constant comparison, self-rejection. And The more aesthetic standards are inaccessible, the greater the dependency on the filter.
Worship of fine size and exaggerated forms
Another striking phenomenon illustrates how social networks, and TikTok in particular, shape young women's physical representations and behaviours.
To match a artificial aesthetic idealSome do not hesitate to use spectacular fireworks: ultra-tight corsets to refine the size, false padding to accentuate breasts and buttocks, all aimed at reproducing the famous silhouette « Coca-Cola ».
These stages, cleverly built, almost always obey the same ritual: a short video, a deliberately suggestive gesture, a few steps of dance, then a final pirouette that highlights the shapes.
The objective isr: capture male attention, gain « likes » and arouse the dream, even if it is to distance itself completely from reality.
This cult of visual illusion reveals both the normative power of social networks and the fragility of young people seeking social validation through social networks. Images calibrated to seduce rather than reflect authenticity.
Professional "insulters": verbal violence at international level
Another equally worrying phenomenon takes root in the darkest corners of TikTok: that of « public insulters« . Often located abroad, these individuals, sometimes very followed, swarm daily for insulting, humiliating, denigrating other people, often women or famous personalities in Senegal.
Their language is extreme vulgarity, without filter, without restraint. They become self-proclaimed moral judges, attacking appearance, privacy, religious or romantic choices.
Their videos are then shared, commented, widely broadcast, becoming viral not for their content, but for the shock they cause.
Impunity is reinforced by their geographical position outside the country, making any prosecution difficult.
But their words hurt, divide, and sometimes destroy reputations. These "hate columnists" exploit the algorithm as a weapon, and establish a climate of fear and public humiliation.
Provocation and vulgarity: the toxic influence of pseudo-coachs on TikTok
Another worrying phenomenon on TikTok is the emergence of self-proclaimed pseudo-coachs who build all their "expertise" around sex.
With deliberately provocative videos, These characters approach intimate relationships with a raw language, sometimes dirty, flirting with pornography.
Some do not hesitate to highlight delusional testimonies, presented as lived confidences, but whose only aim is to provoke scandal and attract an audience eager for thrills.
They are influencers claiming "counsel counselors" or "coachs in seduction", whose publications consist mainly of explicit dissemination of sexual practices..
This content, which is widely relayed, has a massive audience among young people, fascinated by the decomplex tone and the promise of a "no taboo" speech.
The problem, however, is twofold: firstly, These discourses normalize a consumerist and trivial vision of sexuality, reduced to a mere spectacle intended to generate "buzz".
On the other hand, they violently undermine the cultural and religious landmarks of Senegalese society, a society still deeply attached to values of modesty and respect for traditional codes.
Families, educators and even religious leaders are concerned, seeing this vulgarization as a direct attack on collective morals and the fragile balance of a society in transition.
This content helps to build a distorted or even caricatural vision of sexuality, reduced to performance and exhibition.
They trivialize vulgarity and normalize extreme practices, without emotional or emotional education, which can create unrealistic and dangerous expectations.
The sellers of « Cosmetic poisons »
Among the most pernicious trends observed on TikTok in Senegal is the sale, sometimes very aggressive, of thinning products for the skin.
Young women shoot themselves to boast creams or homemade mixtures supposedly « give shine » or « standardize the complexion« , but which often contain hazardous substances.
Mercury, hydroquinone, steroids... These products, banned or strictly supervised, are sometimes offered to teenage girls without any precaution. Efficacy is promised in « 7 days », the testimonies are scripted, the photos « before/after » rigged, and commands are made directly via WhatsApp.
This parallel market of depigmentation, thrives on identity insecurity and imposed aesthetic norms. Behind filters, filters, again filters, natural skin becomes suspicious, and the light complexion is sold as a passport to beauty, success or love.
Weddings-spectacle: between staging and symbolic vacuum
Another worrying trend is that of hastily organized marriages, Only to be shown on TikTok. They are preceded by a ceremony called "Henne Time"; No matter when, as long as we can post it.
Couples marry without real preparation, sometimes without true love, with the sole aim of creating a spectacular ceremony, with great reinforcement of luxurious outfits, entry into luxury cars, dances filmed live on the fast pace of the « Bongo-man ». The event is calibrated for networks, staged for « doing the buzz ».
Marriage, once sacred, becomes a setting.
We are no longer married only for love or common project, but for « have his moment TikTok« , even to divorce a few months later.
This phenomenon reflects a profound transformation of the benchmarks: what counts is no longer the real commitment, but image left.
The resulting social pressure is strong, especially for young women: they must « success » their online marriage, otherwise it's like he didn't exist.
A double-sided mirror
TikTok in Senegal is a vibrant, funny, creative and disturbing space. It reveals a society in full transformation, where young people seek to exist, to seduce, to belong.
But this quest for visibility can easily turn into a quest for validation at any price.
Overexposure of bodies, viral insults, trade in toxic products, weddings-spectacle, deceptive filters... These phenomena are not marginal. They have become the backdrop of a network where appearance often weighs more than reality.
Responsibility is collective. It is not a question of prohibiting or demonizing, but of accompanying, training, opening spaces for speech. To restore meaning to the image, weight to the word, time to judgment.
Because TikTok, with all its power, can also be a great tool, if it is used with consciousness.
How to use TikTok in China
It must first be made clear that TikTok does not exist in China under this name: it is its local version, Customs, which is deployed there. Although both applications share a similar interface, their uses and purposes are very different:
- An educational and cultural tool In China, Douyin highlights educational content: mathematics, history, scientific extension, art, technology. Young people use videos that feed their knowledge and skills rather than just entertainment content.
- A Oriented Algorithmic Control The algorithm values videos deemed useful, training and in line with the values advocated by the state (discipline, innovation, patriotism, academic and professional success).
- Restrictions on minors : Chinese teens have a limited use time to 40 minutes a day, with precise time ranges (not at night). The application thus becomes a training tool more than an addictive drift space.
- Support for the local economy Douyin is widely used for e-commerce and the promotion of local businesses, fostering entrepreneurship and economic innovation.
In short, Douyin in China is conceived as an instrument of education, productivity and social control, while its exported version, TikTok, instead promotes entertainment, virality and sometimes superficiality.
What to do? A roadmap for working together
For parents and families: creating dialogue, setting a framework
- Establish clear and consistent rules : no screen before sleeping, limited daily use time, areas without screen at home (meals, homework, prayers).
- Co-view videos with children regularly to understand their interests, identify drifts and discuss what they see.
- Addressing the issue of unrealistic filters and beauty standards Helping girls make the difference between virtual image and reality.
- Encourage responsible creativity To encourage positive content (tutoria, culture, healthy humour) rather than passive consumption.
- Talking about early sexualization and self-respect : without judgment, but with benevolence, recall the values of dignity, modesty and self-esteem.
For educators, schools, daaras and associations: media education from an early age
- Integrating digital and media education into school curricula, in French and Wolof: learning reliable sources, content analysis, right to image.
- Organize workshops on the psychological effects of social networks : self-esteem, dependence, illusion of perfection.
- Establish non-judged discussion spaces, where young people can talk about what they live online, ask questions, express their doubts.
- Training "peer ambassadors" in schools : students trained to raise awareness and help them navigate healthier on TikTok.
- Involve religious leadership in digital pedagogyNot to censor, but to contextualize religious values in a connected world.
For public institutions and digital actors: regulating without censorship, accompanying without infantilising
- Launch massive popular education campaigns : short video capsules in Wolof and French on the dangers of thinning products, filters, wedding-spectacles, online hatred.
- Establish an observatory for problematic viral contentrelated to NGOs and psychologists.
- Open a local point of reporting hate, illegal or humiliating content, with quick and clear response.
- Collaborate with TikTok for contextual moderationtaking into account Senegalese social norms, without imposing a foreign model.
- Supporting creators of educational, cultural or inspirational content, especially those producing in Wolof, with subsidies, training or local algorithmic emphasis.
TikTok in Senegal: a magnifying mirror of social change
TikTok has established himself in a few years as a central player in the social, cultural and emotional life of young Senegalese.
In a country where mobile phones are the first point of access to the Internet, and where orality and visual language dominate exchanges, this platform could only flourish.
It has been rooted in everyday habits, to the point of becoming a permanent scene where pride, frustration, dreams, anger, knowledge and self-direction are expressed.
This reality is neither fully positive nor purely negative.
It is complex, ambivalent, and deeply revealing a youth in recomposition, faced with the globalization of norms, but also determined to claim its own voice.
On the one hand, TikTok democratized creation: everyone, with a simple phone, can now produce, broadcast, make laughs, move, transmit knowledge or value a part of Senegalese culture.
It has led to the emergence of local entrepreneurs, committed creators, innovative teachers, and bold young women who redefine the contours of success, beauty or influence. The use of Wolof, ubiquitous on the platform, reinforced this local appropriation, giving TikTok a deeply Senegalese face.
But the drifts are numerous, and sometimes serious. We cannot close our eyes to the early sexualization of very young girls in search of digital validation, nor to violent insults uttered by « influencers » settled abroad, became public humiliation professionals.
We cannot ignore the sellers of dangerous products who exploit identity insecurity, nor the spectacle weddings mounted for buzz, emptied of their profound symbolism.
The obsessive use of filters, finally, installs a distorted relationship to oneself, where the ideal image replaces the real person, generating anxiety, comparison and loss of confidence.
These phenomena, taken in isolation, may seem anecdotal.
Together, they draw a profound change in the connection to the body, the word, the collective, the truth.
It is not only youth that is affected: it is the whole society that is called upon to reposition itself against these new codes, often faster than educational, religious or family settings.
Hence, the answer cannot be blind repression (blocking platforms, authoritarian surveillance), nor de-engaged laxism.
What's needed is intelligent regulation, appropriate support, and active pedagogy, which gives young people the tools to understand, choose, create, resist.
It is not a question of imposing an external model, but of building Senegalese digital citizenship, rooted in local values, but capable of dialogue with global standards.
Responsibilities are shared: families to recreate the link, schools to educate images, institutions to protect without censorship, platforms to cooperate, and creators themselves to assume a share of social responsibility in their content.
Together, these actors can turning an unstable space into an emancipation lever, where attention would no longer be a commodity, but a collective energy in the service of knowledge, culture, respect and dignity.
While young Chinese use Douyin as a a springboard for academic excellence, innovation and critical thinking, part of the African youth, particularly in Senegal, gets caught by the international version TikTok, reduced to a spectacle of body and suggestive postures.
TikTok, at the bottom, is a magnifying mirror: it does not create social tensions, but reflects them, amplifies them, makes them visible.
That is also why it cannot be ignored.
The question is no longer whether it should be adopted or rejected, but how to regain control of it, so that this mirror does not distort the image that Senegalese society wants to transmit itself, today and tomorrow.
