This study investigates how Swedish upper secondary school students use hashtags on TikTok and how this affects their reach and visibility on the platform. The study aimed to answer two central research questions: how students utilize hashtags when searching for content and how hashtags contribute to reaching a broader audience. Through a quantitative research approach, the study found a strong positive correlation between frequent use of hashtags and increased reach. The results show that strategic use of hashtags not only improves the visibility of individual posts but also plays a crucial role in categorizing content in a way that facilitates its discovery by new users. This confirms the theory of folksonomy, where user-generated tags are central to the organization and dissemination of information on social media. Furthermore, the findings indicate that active engagement in content exploration on TikTok is strongly associated with increased visibility, supporting the theory of social navigation chains. The study contributes to existing literature on social media by empirically demonstrating how youths' use of hashtags influences their ability to reach a broader audience. The results have practical implications for both individuals and businesses seeking to optimize their presence on TikTok through effective hashtag usage. Future research is suggested to explore demographic differences, the long-term effects of hashtag usage, and how educational programs can improve users' strategies on the platform.