Friendship for money

Imagine the following: You are liked and respected in your circle of friends - because you regularly transfer a certain amount of money to the alpha dog of the group, to the applause of the others. «What nonsense!», you think. But this is exactly what children and young people are sometimes confronted with on social media.

On the live streaming video portal Twitch, for example, it has long been possible to support the end of games with so-called bits. This virtual currency must be purchased in advance with real money. The list of contributions made is visible to everyone in the live stream. The higher the amount, the more spectacular the accompanying animation. The community celebrates the contribution in the live chat.

Now also on Tiktok

Something similar has also been possible on Tiktok for some time now. Here, users can give their idols «gifts» after buying the necessary «coins» for real money. The tempting thing about this is that the smallest gift is worth just over a centime. Tiktok's terms of use are very restrictive when it comes to age limits: only people over 18 are allowed to buy such coins.

The minimum age for an account is 13 years. However, this is not monitored. Such mechanisms are tricky and dangerous in two respects: on the one hand, there is the risk of becoming indebted. The more of the virtual currency is bought at once, the higher the discount. Spending the coins is then easy, as the amounts are extremely small. And the design of the donation is not at all reminiscent of real money. Both tempt the user to buy more and give more away.

On the other hand: The Tiktok idols often thank you effusively for your contribution. This is of course flattering, the community applauds. This creates the illusion of popularity, the opinion that the recipient has actually noticed you. Popularity that can be bought? Community and friendship should not be a question of money, even online.

The value of friendship

What sounded so absurd in the opening sentence is actually part of the reality on some social media channels. Parents should therefore take a critical look at their children's wishes for virtual money. An absolute no is just as unhelpful as unlimited access to the credit card (which should never be possible anyway!). However, the joint discussion about the importance of recognition, friendship and popularity in relation to money encourages many children and young people to think about these central values for themselves.