TikTok, the popular short video social network, appears to be stepping up to the plate to show that it cares about its younger users. In addition to restricting adult videos to minors, the social network has announced a number of features aimed at controlling teenagers’ access to TikTok, as well as reducing the time they spend on the app.
According to The Verge, TikTok will launch in the coming weeks a daily limit of 60 minutes for all users under the age of 18. If minors want to continue watching videos, they will be asked for an access code. The function, which is optional, can be deactivated without any problems, but after 100 minutes they will have to set a new time limit.
In addition to this new time limit, a notification will inform them about the total time they have spent watching videos during the last week, in order to make them aware of their TikTok usage and limit the maximum time they can spend watching videos.
“TikTok for Younger Users”,the limited version of the app for users under the age of 13, will also include the 1-hour time limitation, although a parent or legal guardian must provide them with the access code for them to view an additional 30 minutes of content.
In a statement also stating that TikTok has followed the recommendations of experts in the field, Cormac Keenan, the company’s head of trust and safety, states the following, “While there is no common position on how much screen time is ‘too much,’ or even on the impact of screen time in general, we recognize that teens often need additional support as they begin to explore the online world independently.”
In addition, TikTok will debut four new features in “family pairing”, its parental control feature that allows parents and guardians to control minors’ access to the app. With the new update, parents will be able to set custom time limits and mute push notifications at specific times and by day of the week.
Parents will also be able to monitor their children’s screen time and see how often minors open the app, as well as filter the content teens view on TikTok by adding words or hashtags to a blacklist.
A series of features aimed at easing the tensions of parents and guardians towards TikTok regarding the potential dangers of its algorithm (one of the reasons why the app could be banned in the United States).
