Gadgetren – The short video platform TikTok has recently been abuzz with a video in which an 11-year-old girl is scolded by her father for being caught playing an age-inappropriate role-playing game.
The role-playing game (RP) has gone viral on TikTok because many users and even children have tried the game without parental control, so it has become a topic of discussion among netizens.
The video quickly went viral and was censored because it was not very educational if used by minors and could cause psychological disturbances. This is because children play with people they don’t know and maybe even with people who are more mature.
Which can be a trigger for harassment and pornographic acts such as posting vulgar photos to the point where children can become victims of gender-based violence online (KBGO). So what is an RP or Roleplay game on TikTok?
What are RP or Role Play games?
Role playing or RP for short on TikTok is a game that is becoming a trend because it allows users to play the role of imitating other people.
Basically this game starts with the user making videos imitating idol figures such as Korean pop stars, Hollywood artists, to fictional anime characters. RP game enthusiasts are usually popular or practiced by Gen Z teenagers.
In the RP game, players must first connect with other RPs and follow each other through the RP TikTok feature. After that, they each made a video imitating the idol’s habits, starting from clothing, speaking style to typical scenes.
This game of creating avatar-style videos is also often done by users because the content quickly goes viral or enters FYP. However, behind its popularity to attract the number of viewers, likes and followers, it turns out that RP games can have a bad impact on children who do not understand inappropriate content on social media.
Additionally, this game requires RP players to interact via comments, private messages, or duet videos so they can chat, joke, argue, fight, or even do other things that are in line with fictional relationships or habits idol.
However, playing RPs on TikTok must maintain ethics and know boundaries, such as mutual respect for other RPs so they don’t do things that break rules and laws. Players should also be aware that there is a boundary between the real world and the fantasy world in RP games.
RP games also have many genres that RP players can choose from depending on their interests and preferences, including Korean, Anime, Western, and Fantasy. Many Korean and Western genres are used because singer, actor, boy band, girl group are usually represented.
Therefore, when using the short video platform TikTok, it is necessary to have strict parental supervision while accessing the internet. If children play it, of course it will not have a good effect on their growth and development.
In order to avoid things that are not desirable, parents should immediately understand the children as early as possible when the children start holding mobile phones about what is prohibited when playing on social media.
Parents should also stress to their children that they should be wary of strangers who try to contact their children via private messages, may not provide important data information, show photos of sensitive body parts, and use inappropriate words in the comment column .
