TechDigits

Tech news
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

TikTok influencer with Tourette's Glen Cooney says scientists shouldn't exclude their voices after report on rise in tic symptoms

TikTok influencer with Tourette's Glen Cooney says scientists shouldn't exclude their voices after report on rise in tic symptoms

Glen Cooney tells Sky News that scientists must "use us rather than coming up with stuff against us" after multiple reports suggest some videos may be contributing to a rise in tic symptoms among teenagers.

A TikTok influencer has criticised scientists for excluding voices like his in their research after a report found some videos may be contributing to a rise in tic symptoms.

Glen Cooney, 41, an influencer who has Tourette's Syndrome (TS), a condition which causes tics, has told Sky News that scientists must "use us rather than coming up with stuff against us".

He said scientists risk creating a culture of blame against influencers like himself and could damage "people's perceptions about tics".

Glenn Cooney has spoken out about research into the impact of tics on TikTok users


It comes after research published in the British Medical Journal found that videos by TikTok influencers with tic symptoms could be having a concerning impact on users.

The report revealed that, between November 2020 to January 2021, tic clinics at two London children's hospitals both received three to four referrals per week for acute onset tics in teenage girls.

Researchers predicted that referral rates could continue to double if patterns continued but also acknowledged that factors like stress and depression impacted by the pandemic were likely to have contributed to the increase as well.

Dr Tammy Hedderly, who co-authored the report, previously told Sky News that tics increase when they are "observed or talked about" as he spoke about how TikTok could be having a detrimental impact.

But Glen Cooney, known on TikTok as this.tourettes.guy, said doctors need to work with TikTok influencers who have tic symptoms, and who have worked to change people's perceptions about them.

While Mr Cooney agreed there has been a rise in tic symptoms among some teenagers, he said: "We need to be careful how we go about this.

"It has taken years to get to a stage where we can change people's perception about tics. But it can be changed back just like that from studies like this."

He added: "They need to use us instead of coming up with stuff against us. They should reach out to us to use our platforms to try to teach people instead of blaming us."

Mr Cooney added TikTok influencers, like himself, receive hundreds of messages from teenagers to parents asking for advice while the TikTok community has helped to educate people.

But he added that more needs to be done to educate people about tics and Tourette's Syndrome, beyond the social media platform.

The Guernsey-based TikToker has amassed over 3.8 million followers since starting his account last August, with some videos gaining over 60 million views.

Mr Cooney developed facial tics when he was 10 years old following the death of his 11-year-old cousin.

He began creating videos under #tourettes and #tics after seeing hate comments mocking young TikTokers who have TS or displayed tic symptoms.

Responding to Mr Cooney's comments, neurologist Dr Hedderly said: "We are keen to engage in research and discuss ideas for how to help with the influencers and it's reassuring to know they are keen to be involved in finding solutions.

"We agree there are several factors involved and these need to be worked out by a wide group of involved people including those presenting with tic like episodes."

Meanwhile, Dr Jeremy Stern, medical director of Tourette's Action, said: "It has become clearer recently that people with tics can be influenced by viewing others having tics on social media.

"These are mechanisms by which people who already have tics and people who have previously not had tics, can be influenced or triggered by others they admire when displaying tics on social media."

He said reasons for increases in functional tics and tic movements both in people with and without pre-existing tics during the pandemic is "not entirely clear", but functional tics may be related to psychological distress from the pandemic.

Dr Stern added that further research is needed to understand the deeper causes of tic outbreaks to help those who experience them.

Newsletter

Related Articles

TechDigits
0:00
0:00
Close
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The future of sports
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
UK Crypto and Stablecoin Regulations Become Law as Royal Assent is Granted
A Delaware city wants to let businesses vote in its elections
Alef Aeronautics Achieves Historic Milestone with Flight Certification for World's First Flying Car
Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation
French Politicians Advocate for Pan-European Regulation on Social Media Influencers
Melinda French Gates Advocates for Increased Female Representation in AI to Prevent Bias
Snapchat+ gains 4 million paying subscribers in its first year
Apple Makes History as the First Public Company Valued at $3 Trillion
Elon Musk Implements Twitter Limits to Tackle Data Scraping, but Faces Criticism for Technical Misunderstanding
EU and UK's Slow Electric Vehicle Adoption Raises Questions About the Transition to Green Mobility
Top Companies Express Concerns Over Europe's Proposed AI Law, Citing Competitiveness and Investment Risks
Meta Unveils Insights on AI Usage in Facebook and Instagram, Amid Growing Calls for Transparency
Crypto Scams Against Seniors Soar by 78% in 2022, Experts Urge Vigilance
The End of an Era: National Geographic Dismisses Last of Its Staff Writers
Shield Your Wallet: The Perils of Wireless Credit Card Theft
Harvard Scientist Who Studies Honesty Accused Of Data Fraud, Put On Leave
Putting an End to the Subscription Snare: The Battle Against Unwitting Commitments
The Legal Perils of AI: Lawyer Faces Sanctions for Relying on Fictional Cases Generated by Chatbot
ChatGPT’s "Grandma Exploit": Ingenious Hack Exposes Loophole in AI, Generates Free Software Codes
The Disney Downturn: A Near Billion-Dollar Box Office Blow for the House of Mouse
A Digital Showdown: Canada Challenges Tech Giants with The Online News Act, Meta Strikes Back
Distress in the Depths: Submersible and Passengers Missing in Titanic Wreckage Expedition
Mark Zuckerberg stealing another idea: Twitter
European Union's AI Regulations Risk Self-Sabotage, Cautions smart and brave Venture Capitalist Joe Lonsdale
Nvidia GPUs are so hard to get that rich venture capitalists are buying them for the startups they invest in
Chinese car exports surge
Reddit Blackout: Thousands of Communities Protest "Ludicrous" Pricing Changes
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
×