These controls have recently been tightened as part of a concerted effort by the platform to make them safer for its young users. While it`s important to remember that parental controls don`t eliminate risk, it can be a good first step. In conjunction with their «family matching» settings, TikTok has also included advice from teens. The aim is to promote dialogue between parents and children about online safety and privacy. Balancing a teen`s privacy expectations and keeping them safe is one of the most challenging aspects of parenting – online and offline. It can be difficult when a teen tells you they`d rather you didn`t follow them on a platform. It`s natural to worry about them doing mischief when it`s very likely that they just want a little space to spend time with friends unsupervised. There may be good reasons why you think it`s necessary to track your teen`s account. If so, teens say they understand your reasons and want to explore ways to build trust. Older teens have told us they protect themselves from younger siblings and cousins and, of course, search for them online, so ask yourself if there`s anyone your teen would like to follow in your place. While TikTok is great for socializing and can provide a creative outlet for your child, it can also have harmful effects.

As with any social media platform, posting videos and photos will regularly expose your child to negative reactions and harsh comments. TikTok is raising the age requirement to host live streams on its platform and launching adult-only live streams, the company announced Monday. Currently, you must be at least 16 years old to host a live broadcast. Since November 23, users must be 18 years old to be posted on the platform. TikTok says change is part of its ongoing work to keep its community safe. For a robust set of parental control tools, parents can enable family pairing, which links a parent`s TikTok account to their teen`s TikTok account. For example, when family pairing is enabled, parents can choose how long their teen can use TikTok, what kind of content they can see, whether they have a personal or public account, or who can send them direct messages. Turn on family pairing under Settings & Privacy > Family pairing. TikTok users under the age of 18 have their accounts set to private by default, meaning that only someone the user approves as a subscriber can see their videos.

This change is part of a larger set of measures to achieve higher standards of user privacy and security. Download the updated privacy settings here. If we believe someone under the age of 13 – or 14 in South Korea and Indonesia – is using TikTok, we suspend their account and they can appeal if they think we`ve made a mistake. If you are a parent, guardian or other trusted adult of a teen whose account we suspend, they may ask you to help them appeal. You may have heard of dangerous online challenges like «sneaky leaks,» but the majority of viral challenges aren`t dangerous, and studies show that most kids don`t participate in dangerous online challenges on TikTok or other apps. In addition, TikTok`s Community Guidelines prohibit videos that promote or glorify dangerous behavior, and the company says it promptly removes infringing content if it becomes aware of it. The minimum recommended age to use the app in order to have a full TikTok experience is 13 years old. Parents have expressed concerns about inappropriate language in some of the posted videos, which could make it less appropriate for young children. Predators trying to bond with children are another risk that parents have told their children. A parent rating can be found on Common Sense Media.

While there have been problematic challenges on TikTok and other platforms, most of the challenges are fun and light-hearted activities that people film themselves sharing and connecting with the wider online community. One current challenge that has gone viral is the 3-minute makeup challenge, where people try to finish their entire makeup routine in less than 3 minutes for sometimes hilarious results. You may also remember the Ice Bucket Challenge, another well-known challenge where people recorded themselves pouring buckets of ice over their heads, bringing in millions of dollars for ALS research. They have an expanded list of resources, including wellness tips and links to mental health support websites. While much of TikTok is harmless fun, there are real concerns about kids using the app. As with any social network, you should use privacy settings to limit the amount of information you and your children share. Since you can post videos instantly without reviewing or editing them first, kids can download impulsively. And other issues have haunted the app: reports of online predators using the app to target younger users; an FTC lawsuit for violating the Children`s Privacy Protection Act; and serious software bugs – including one that allegedly allowed the company to collect user data. While the safest way to use TikTok is through a private account, the social nature of the app and the rapid success of some of its stars — including Charli D`Amelio, a dancer whose TikTok fame led to a TV deal — might make your kids want to go public. There`s a huge temptation to become famous, including TikTok homes where groups of young YouTubers live and make videos — and make a lot of money and rake in sponsors. Children who see this example might be persuaded to do or share things they wouldn`t normally do to reach a wider audience. They may also be obsessed with tastes and virtual approval, which is not healthy for their emotional well-being.

Parents can manage this by encouraging and modeling safe behaviors and limiting the type of information children share. A new update means that push notifications will be automatically disabled from 9pm for users aged 13-15 and from 10pm for users aged 16-17. If you turn on family mating, you have the option to set notifications back to off if your child has changed them. This can have a huge impact on your child`s self-esteem, body image, and confidence. In some cases, this can lead to depression, anxiety, and even eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. While these are extreme cases, younger users and even influencers on the platform have expressed concerns about the negative feedback they receive and how it affects their daily lives. Private messages for children between the ages of 16 and 17 are now set to «nobody» by default. This means they have to manually change the settings if they want to send and receive private messages. TikTok had to implement this procedure to ensure the safety of its underage users, who are much more vulnerable and easier to influence. In fact, thanks to this platform, some members were exposed to practices harmful to their young age (the consequences of which they were certainly not aware of). TikTok has since asked all of its users to confirm their age to prevent this incident from happening again.

This allows his system to show them only the content he believes is best for them. TikTok`s privacy policy describes what information is collected, why it is collected, and what options you have to limit the information you share. The policy states that TikTok «gives advertisers reports on the types of people (not the names of individuals) who see their ads and performance.» Users can prevent the sharing of their data by turning off personalized advertising. Go to Settings & Privacy > Privacy > Ad personalization. To delete a TikTok video you`ve posted to your account, select the video you want to remove from your profile. Press the «…» in the bottom right corner and select Delete (it has a trash can icon). You will be asked if you are sure you want to delete the video. Then it will be removed from your profile.

Providing a safe and supportive environment is our top priority. We believe in feeling safe so that people feel comfortable expressing themselves openly and creatively.