TikTok Tics: The Rare Worldwide Childhood Syndrome

  Blinks, repetitive or jerky movements, unwanted sounds, and strange gestures. These are the symptoms of TikTok tics. They’re unusual behaviors displayed by hundreds of children when they’re constantly exposed to videos of people with Tourette syndrome on TikTok. The phenomenon first hit the media in October when publications like The Wall Street Journal mentioned it. In the last two years, pediatric hospitals in the United States, Canada, and Australia have seen cases of adolescents suddenly exhibiting unusual tics. This involuntary behavior is especially conspicuous in girls. At first, doctors couldn’t find a cause. That’s because the symptoms didn’t meet…