From virality to pedagogy: a systematic and comprehensive review of TikTok's educational use in South America

Abstract

[EN]TikTok’s rise invites scrutiny of its educational value, yet evidence from South America remains fragmented. This study synthesizes South-American research on TikTok-mediated learning to (i) map thematic and methodological trends and (ii) quantify reported learning gains. A PRISMA-guided search of Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO and Latindex (2018–2025) yielded 1 695 records; after screening, 26 peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria. Narrative synthesis traced conceptual patterns, while a meta-analytical substudy aggregated effect data from the 15 papers that reported quantitative outcomes. Research clusters around four application do-mains: language learning, science/health communication, reading & digital storytelling, and civic-environmental education. Most interventions occur in secondary and higher-education settings and employ challenge-based or duet/stitch tasks that lever-age TikTok’s multimodal affordances for motivation and identity work. Meta-analytic pooling—limited by under-reporting of descriptive statistics— nevertheless identified large pre/post differences associated with speaking accuracy (d = 2.13) and moderate pre/post differences related to emotionalintelligence clarity (Wilcoxon p < 0.05). Qualitative evidence corroborates heightened engagement, peer collaboration and critical-media literacy, but also flags persistent digital divides, algorithmic bias and scant research in primary, indigenous and community contexts. Heterogeneous designs and incomplete statistical reporting re-strict generalizability. Future studies should adopt longitudinal, multi-site experiments and open-data practices to enable robust meta-analysis. Effective use of TikTok hinges on intentional instructional design: clear learning objectives, equity centered access strategies and critical-digitalliteracy scaffolds that mitigate platform bias. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis focused exclusively on TikTok’s educational applications in South America. It provides an evidence-based agenda for researchers and practitioners seeking to harness platform-native cultures while addressing the region’s sociotechnical inequalities.