Tiktok is a massively popular app that has been downloaded over three billion times with 60% of those users between the ages of 16-24.[1] Because teens make up the majority of users, they are susceptible to exposure to harmful trends on the platform. Reality shifting is one of these trends. The hashtag #shifting on TikTok has received 9.1 billion views. This trend may seem harmless at first glance. But if you take a second look, it turns out to be a double-edged sword. Today’s GKIS article explains reality shifting and breaks down how popular internet trends can affect your child’s mental health. You can help educate your teen on how to use social media in a safe and positive way with our Social Media Readiness Course. With a steeply discounted price, it’s worth every penny.
What is reality shifting?
Reality shifting, or shifting, is a process of allowing your consciousness to move from one reality to another. Many allege that the realities they are shifting to are real. But the majority of people in the shifting community admit that it’s similar to lucid dreaming but more vivid and realistic.
There are several ways people claim to shift, but they all essentially include meditation and the need for the individual to be in a peaceful environment where they can focus.
One well-known technique is called the raven method. This method has you lie down in a starfish position and count to 100 while picturing your desired reality. A second common way to shift is named the Alice in Wonderland method where you imagine yourself chasing after someone from your desired reality and jumping down a rabbit hole with them.
The authoring or scripting of a dream or desired reality, often referred to as DRs on TikTok, is a crucial component of shifting. Shifters write their lives within DRs. Hogwarts is an example of a very common DR in the shifting community. Scripting includes how the individual looks, who they interact with, and how they behave.
From Coping Strategy to Unhealthy Obsession
Many shifters say they are seeking a way to escape a world that is getting more hectic, suggesting that building the perfect world and living there helps one avoid real-life and mental health problems.
In an interview with Insider Mallory Grimste, an adolescent therapist, stated, “The idea of imagining or visualizing yourself in a different reality can be a very healthy coping strategy for many.” and that “many therapists will often help their clients create their own ‘calm, safe space’ to visualize when they need to re-regulate difficult emotional responses and experiences.”
However, some teens have made numerous Tiktok videos detailing how they shift for 15 hours at a time and wish they could exist only in their desired reality. They have also admitted that shifting had a negative impact on their mental health. One teen stated that she stopped shifting because it became an obsession. She claimed that, because she was continually focused on her dream reality, she “stopped liking things” in day-to-day existence.
In an interview with Insider, Professor of psychology Phillip Reid of Cardiff University in Wales claims that reality shifting can cause people to become disconnected from reality. He said that this could be a “predictor of psychosis.” He also explains how younger people without a strong sense of self may be in danger of adopting numerous new identities because they can become estranged from reality.
How You Can Help
As long as teens are on the internet, they will be subject to popular online trends that may be harmful to their health and well-being. But with Dr. B’s Screen Safety Essentials Course, you can strengthen family bonds and create healthy screen time. This course offers beneficial parenting information in the form of short videos and colorful downloads. Learn how to connect closer as a family so you can be well-prepared to prevent and handle the risks that come with being online!
Thanks to CSUCI intern, Liliana Esquivel, for explaining the popular Tiktok trend, “reality shifting” and discussing how viral internet trends can affect your teen’s mental health.
I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.
