Blog, YouTube & Content Monetization

For many high-impact runners, it fels like Mom and Dad are fighting. Strava, the popular fitness-tracking app, is suing the fitness wearable giant Garmin over alleged patent infringement and breach of conduct. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 30 in a Colorado district court, alleges that Garmin is infringing on two patents — segments and heatmaps — and also broke a written agreement between the two companies, as first reported by DC Rainmaker. For many athletes, Strava and Garmin go together like Oakley sunglasses and On Running shoes. A trend report published last year by Strava showed that Garmin’s Forerunner was among the most popular smartwatches for its users. If y…

Instead of teens simply putting down their phones to take a break, TikTok wants them to use the app’s new breathing exercises and affirmation journal to improve their well-being. Over the past couple of years, a growing number of legislators have been proposing or enacting laws to restrict or limit minors’ access to social media apps in order to protect children’s and teens’ mental health. TikTok has other ideas on how to boost well-being—without ever leaving the app. This week, it launched a Time and Well-Being space within users’ account settings, replacing the existing screen-time management page. New features in the space include an affirmation journal …

Ellie Frazier first started posting content three years ago, sharing day-in-the-life vlogs and content tips for fellow creators. As her following grew, she began noticing other creators posting videos with uncannily similar scripts to her own. The clips felt the same. The editing style, identical. In one example, Frazier stretched in front of a window; another creator stretched in front of a window. Frazier chopped vegetables; the other creator chopped an orange. On its own, that might not seem especially striking. But the voiceover script used by the other creator was also almost verbatim Frazier’s words. “There’s a very stark difference between taking inspir…

We love our social media, and more frighteningly, we love getting medical information from social media. Almost 20% of Americans say they trust TikTok as much as doctors, even though 45% of the medical information on TikTok is false or misleading. Now, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open, the problem goes deeper: Social media might be promoting the overuse of medical tests such as MRIs. In some circles, such tests have even become a luxury status symbol. What the new study found Researchers analyzed a cross-section of 982 posts from account holders with more than 194 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok. They selected posts ref…

If you don’t pay attention, you could miss it. There is a secret alligator emoji game hidden in your TikTok DMs. And while this news is coming on April Fools’ Day, it’s no joke—this easter egg (on the first day of Passover) is real! Here’s what to know. How to find TikTok’s hidden emoji game in your DMs Here’s how to find it: Go into your TikTok messages as if you were sending a DM, and send an emoji, then look for a tiny link that reads “tap emoji to play emoji game.” Click the link and you’ll see a green screen with alligators and floating emojis. Use your finger to swipe up on the profile picture of whomever you are messaging at the time, and viola, sta…

ADHD content has been trending on TikTok for a while. Unsurprisingly, much of it has been found to be misleading. A study published last week in the journal PLOS One found that fewer than half of the claims in popular ADHD-related TikTok videos aligned with clinical diagnostic criteria or professional treatment guidelines. Researchers also warned that the more ADHD content young adults consume on TikTok, the more likely they are to overestimate both how common and how severe ADHD symptoms are in the general population. Even those with an ADHD diagnosis struggled to separate reliable information from misinformation. The sheer amount of misinformation becomes …

Social media users may love the “6-7” trend, but when it comes to their advice for baby boomers, a number of recent posts from TikTok financial influencers have users recommending that people start collecting their Social Security benefits early, at age “62.” However, this differs from what financial planners typically recommend, which is that people delay their Social Security claim as long as possible to get the maximum monthly benefit at age 70. Here’s what to know about the online debate. How does age affect Social Security payments? Before you do anything, it’s important to understand how Social Security works—and that you contact your financial adviso…

People with a healthy limit on their screen time probably haven’t noticed—but there’s been a meme shortage this March. On TikTok, some have declared a full-blown “Meme Drought,” dubbing it the “Great Meme Depression of 2025.” The panic began on March 10, when user @goofangel posted a video titled “TikTok Great Depression March 2025.” He says, “Nine days into March and we haven’t had a single original meme.” The post quickly racked up nearly a million views and clearly struck a chord, if the comments are any indication. “October to February was an insane run,” one commenter reminisced, recalling a time when everyone was “holding space” for “Defying Gravity”…

“As someone who has tried almost every workout class on the planet, there is nothing like SoulCycle,” said TikTok creator Matt Trav in a video posted in early January. “The average human being cannot understand what blowing out the candle during the soulful song can do to the human psyche.” Nearly 40,000 people who liked the video seem to agree. “Absolutely nothing can beat NYC SoulCycle circa 2016,” one commenter wrote. “Literally like going to church,” another added. Across social media platforms, that renaissance is already underway. Devotees have been sharing nostalgia-laced photos from years past, unearthing old merchandise, and swapping stories in co…

One of the more unique takes on the POV trend on TikTok: “POV: You bought a 100-year-old skyscraper . . . ” For those unlikely to ever own a skyscraper themselves, TikTok’s Skyscraper Guy offers a behind-the-scenes look at what that experience entails—think hidden rooms not listed on blueprints, a bottomless pit in the basement, a Prohibition-era speakeasy, and a mysterious safe with no known combination. The video, posted last week, has already racked up more than 2.4 million views. “Step 1. How does one acquire a skyscraper,” one commenter asked. “My idea of an impulse buy is a cupcake,” another added. Sleuths in the comments quickly identified the …

“There are boy aquariums all over the United States,” a TikTok creator explains in a recent post. The video then shows a clip of someone carrying a bucket filled with hockey pucks. “Come feed the fish at the boy aquarium with me,” the closed captions read. The person tosses the pucks onto the rink as players skate past. On TikTok, ice hockey arenas have been rebranded as “boy aquariums.” Videos show women tapping against the battered Plexiglas, filming the players warming up and encouraging others to go on a girls’ night to the rink. The players themselves are in on the joke. Earlier this year, the official TikTok of the Canadian junior ice hockey team Monc…

TikTok’s U.S. operations are now managed by a new American joint venture, ending a long-standing debate over whether the app would be permanently banned in the United States. The good news for TikTok users is that this deal guarantees that the app will continue to operate within America’s borders. But there’s some bad news, too. Successive U.S. administrations—both Biden’s and The President’s—argued that TikTok posed a national security threat to America and its citizens, partly because of the data the app collected about them. While all social media apps collect data about their users, officials argued that TikTok’s data collection was a danger (while, say, Face…

TikTok is shutting down TikTok Notes—wait, you didn’t even know it existed? Well, that explains a lot. TikTok Notes, the platform’s short-lived attempt to take on Instagram (just as Instagram Reels was built to mimic TikTok), is officially being retired. Launched in limited markets like Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year, the photo-sharing app let users post images with captions—simple enough, but apparently not compelling enough. Users are now being notified that TikTok Notes will shut down on May 8, with TikTok instead shifting focus to another ByteDance-owned platform: Lemon8. “We’re excited to bring the feedback from TikTok Notes to Lemon8 as we cont…

TikTok agreed to settle a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed. The social video platform was one of three companies — along with Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube — facing claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum. Details of the settlement with TikTok were not disclosed, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the core of the case is a 19-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could d…

U.S. TikTok Shop employees received a memo on Tuesday, recommending staff to work from home Wednesday ahead of “difficult decisions.” The memo, which was earlier reported by Bloomberg, told staff they would be updated on “organizational and personnel changes” via email, followed by HR outreach, suggesting possible layoffs. TikTok Shop, the Chinese-owned company’s marketplace feature launched in 2023 in the U.S., allowing users to shop for products in the app. The marketplace—which hosts everything from popular US brands like Crocs, to third-party merchandise in the likes of Temu and Shein— hit $100 million in single day sales on Black Friday alone. “TikTok Sh…

TikTok is launching its own version of community notes on the platform, called “Footnotes.” The crowd-sourced approach to moderation, where users add additional context to posts, has become increasingly popular on social media networks after X (then called Twitter) first launched it in 2021. “Footnotes offers a new opportunity for people to share their expertise and add an additional layer of context to the discussion using a consensus-driven approach,” the company wrote in a blog post. TikTok said it will open access to start contributing footnotes in the coming months. U.S. users can apply to be a contributor as of today. They’ll have to meet the eligi…

Mauritania isn’t typically a major tourist destination. But its only railway has recently become the subject of a viral TikTok travel trend: riding the “Iron Ore Train.” This 437-mile journey through the Sahara desert offers dramatic selfie backdrops—and no shortage of controversy. The History of the Iron Ore Train The Mauritania Railway, or “Iron Ore Train,” is the country’s only rail line. Since the 1960s, it has transported iron ore from the mining hub of Zouérat to the port city of Nouadhibou. Operated by the state-owned Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière (SNIM), the train is a crucial economic lifeline for Mauritania—hauling up to 16,800 metric …

“POV: You have a type B coworker,” TikTok creator Eric Sedeño posted last week. In the viral skit, the “coworker” rolls into the office past 10 a.m., pulling out a laptop with only 5% charge. “I went to bed at like 4 a.m. last night,” he confesses. “Seriously work is so hard today,” he complains before taking a nap on the couch. When he is working, music is blaring and he is simultaneously on Instagram Live. “When’s that big presentation?” he asks. (It’s today.) If you don’t have a type B coworker like this, it’s probably you. “Type b people EXPECT everything to work out fine for them and it always does,” one commented. “This is literally the person that ac…

Workplace training invites are dropping in many employees’ inboxes now that the new year is underway. Most employers require staff to complete multiple HR modules annually: training on harassment, workplace relationships, or conflicts of interest, for example, followed by a quick quiz. Recently, however, a new TikTok trend imagining fake workplace “training modules” is going viral. “It’s 5 pm and you notice one of your colleagues is crying at their desk,” creator @pepsimasc posted in November. “Do you A: check in and ask how they’re doing, or B: tell them to shut the fuck up?” the skit begins. He continues on to the next imaginary scenario: “You’re in a meetin…

Feeling like you’ve overdone it on the scrolling? Now you can take a break from TikTok to meditate, without ever leaving the app. TikTok’s new in-app meditation feature, announced Thursday, was first tested earlier this year with a group of teen users and is now rolling out to everyone. Designed to improve sleep quality, the meditations activate during designated “sleep hours” and serve as a gentle nudge to put the phone down during a late-night scroll session. For users under 18, the feature is enabled by default. If teens are still on the app after 10 p.m., their For You feed will be interrupted by calming music and breathing exercises. If ignored, the prompt re…

While social media platforms have a habit of copying each other, there’s one area where TikTok is forging its own path. TikTok doesn’t use end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for direct messages, the BBC reports. In contrast, the security measure is used by Meta Platforms for services like Facebook and WhatsApp. It’s also integrated into Signal, Apple, and Google’s in-device messages, and Snapchat. End-to-end encryption means only those involved in a conversation can read those messages. These other platforms argue this is critical for users’ privacy as it means the companies and law enforcement are unable to see any of the content that users send. However, in its…