TikTok is packed to the gills with short videos of all kinds, and if you go looking, you can find something that interests you. However, a feed that’s newly being opened up to everyone is much more worthy of your time and attention than the usual garbage you’ll find on the app.
TikTok Turns Its STEM Feed On for Adults
TikTok initially launched the STEM feed in March 2023 as “a dedicated space to explore a wide range of inspiring, entertaining, and enriching videos related to science, technology, engineering, and math.” However, it was only turned on by default for users under 18. Adults had to go looking for STEM content with hashtags.
Now, all TikTok users, regardless of age, will see the STEM feed unless they actively choose to turn it off. This only applies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. However, earlier this month, the feed was also opened up to everyone in Canada.
As you probably already know, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and it’s seen as an increasingly important set of fields for children (and adults) to be educated in. Thankfully, there are plenty of STEM-focused websites worth exploring.
While there have always been STEM-related videos available on TikTok, this dedicated feed makes it a lot easier to find. It also helps that before appearing on the STEM feed, the videos are all vetted for their suitability and accuracy by Common Sense Networks and Poynter.
A dedicated STEM feed is a welcome addition to an app more renowned for dumb comedy skits, even dumber cats just being cats, and “influencers” producing unnecessary and unfulfilling content that is very likely to be rotting our brains. Which is why it exists in the first place.
Alongside other social media companies, TikTok has been accused of being harmful to your mental health and wellbeing. So, having a dedicated feed full of actually useful content is one way to counter those accusations.
To find the STEM feed, scroll across to the left, past the Explore feed. If you want to carry on watching pointless videos rather than spend at least a little time getting educated, tap Profile > Menu > Settings and Privacy > Content Preferences > STEM Feed, and toggle it off.
