Resist the urge: Don't turn on TikTok's new autoscrolling feature

Late night TikTok scrolls are about to get a lot more passive.

Eugenio Marongiu/Getty Images

• A new feature on TikTok scrolls through videos on your "For You" page automatically.
• But, autoscroll takes away half the fun of TikTok.
• Poking around the comments section is an essential part of the TikTok experience.

I'm usually excited to try out the latest TikTok feature.

But its latest, autoscroll, is one I plan on testing out and then turning off.

The video-sharing app has begun rolling out the feature, which will automatically scroll to the next clip on your For You page once a video ends, Forbes reported. Not all users are getting the tool right away, but you can update the app to see if you're one of the lucky ones.

And while TikTok has become the search engine of choice for Gen Z users, I can't help but wonder: Are we truly ready for it to be the white noise in the background of our daily lives?

My main fear is that the new feature will make it easier to overlook the best part of TikTok: the comments.

Whether it's helpful context, career advice, or a follow-up video, the comments are a necessary part of the TikTok experience.

Creators build communities on their accounts. Half of my must-read list comes from BookTok videos, and the other half is thanks to the users commenting under such videos with their own suggestions.

Members of BookTok help each other out with book recommendations.

@books_and_crafts/TikTok

My first thought when I've just finished watching a juicy story time isn't to scroll to the next video, but to see if others are just as shocked or intrigued as I am.

It's always comforting to see others admit they "ran to the comments" too, and internet culture writer Kristin Merrilees shared the sentiment in a 2020 blog post.

"Comments are a part of many different social media platforms — Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube all use the feature in some way," Merrilees wrote. "But on TikTok, whether it's due to the anonymity or spontaneity of the platform — or something else altogether— comment sections are taken to a whole new level," she added.

Not to mention, the ability to reply to comments with a video means there's often a part two hiding in the comment section. If autoscroll is turned on, I might miss important context or the latest updates on current events.

Autoscroll makes TikTok — an app that people use to dissociate, and which already has to remind its users to take a break because they've been scrolling for hours  — into an even more passive experience. And I'd argue you get the most out of TikTok when you engage with it, going down that rabbit hole on a new topic that caught your interest or reading the back-and-forth in the comments section about a hot-button issue.

I can see the benefits of the feature for accessibility or, at the very least, scrolling for me while I wash dishes. But, I can't stop picturing falling asleep with an endless supply of 2-minute videos playing in the background.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to test out exactly how autoscroll will work with my favorite way to consume TikTok videos. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to engage with what I'm watching for a few minutes before I scroll to my next visual dopamine hit.

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