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Are teens and young adults really getting tics from TikTok?

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It's the kind of medical mystery that terrifies parents. Teenagers and young adults have been showing up to health centers with sudden-onset verbal and physical tics. Repeating words like “beans.” Shouting phrases such as “flying sharks.” Uncontrollable head-jerking.

One thing that these cases have in common: Spending a lot of time on TikTok and other social media platforms. But can you really get tics from TikTok?

Nora Saks and Ben Brock Johnson take a deeper look in this excerpt from WBUR Podcast's Endless Thread.

This segment aired on November 24, 2022.

Headshot of Nora Saks

Nora Saks Producer
Nora Saks was a producer with WBUR's podcast team. 

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Headshot of Ben Brock Johnson

Ben Brock Johnson Executive Producer, Podcasts
Ben Brock Johnson is the executive producer of podcasts at WBUR and co-host of the podcast Endless Thread.

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