MANILA, PHILIPPINES — TikTok continues to promote a safe and positive app experience for its users through another safety update, this time protecting the younger members of its community. The update brings tightened privacy settings for children’s accounts, limiting the ways that users can interact with them on the app. This added layer of security for under-16 TikTok accounts serves as a way to safeguard children against online crimes, such as child sexual exploitation, which is a growing problem faced by internet users today.
Below is a quick rundown of the new safety changes to expect from TikTok.
- Users can no longer download videos created by under-16 accounts. Also, these videos can no longer be used as part of the app’s Duet and Stitch features, which gives users the ability to clip and integrate scenes from another user’s video into their own.
- Only the friends of users aged 13 to 15 will be able to leave comments on their videos. For accounts held by users aged 16 to 18, only friends will be able to use their videos for Duets and Stitching, by default.
- Hosting live streams on TikTok will be restricted to accounts of users aged 16 and above.
TikTok also restricts buying, sending, and receiving of virtual gifts to users aged 18 and up.
These new changes aim to supplement the app’s existing safety features, which include:
- Family Pairing, which allow parents to link their own TikTok account to their child’s, giving them control over their teens’ mobile phone habits by turning features on and off remotely.
- Screen Time Management, where users can set limits for the amount of time that they want to spend on the app each day. Parents can use this to restrict their children’s daily screen time to 40, 60, 90, or 120 minutes. Once the time limit is reached, users will need to enter a password in order to continue using TikTok. This password-protected feature is valid for 30 days.
- Restricted Viewing Mode, which limits the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences. This feature is also activated via password, and is valid for 30 days as well.
The safety of the online community continues to be a top priority for TikTok, so you can rest assured that you and your family remain secure as you use the app. Enjoy a safe and positive TikTok experience today by downloading the app on your iOS and Android devices.
