Can’t speak for TikTok as i’ve never really used it, but Shorts and Reels do have a seek bar at the bottom of the screen. It’s barely noticeable at first but it’s there. And on Shorts you can tap once on the screen to pause the video if you’re on mobile.
Now, I love to hate on the smartphone-ification of web video as much as the next person, but this meme just feels like bait.