TikTok is the latest tech company to double down on features designed to protect young users. On Tuesday, the company announced a handful of new tools designed to give parents greater control and visibility into how teens use the app.
Parents are now able to block access to TikTok during certain times, such as at night, when teens are at school, or on weekends, and set recurring schedules for time away. A teen can also request more time, but it's up to the parents to approve the request by sharing a unique passcode.
The company is also adding a feature that allows parents to see who their teen is following on TikTok, who follows them, and which accounts their child has blocked.
In addition, TikTok is introducing a wind-down feature, where teens under 16 will get an alert in their For You feed along with calming music. If the teen decides to spend more time on TikTok after the reminder, a second, bigger prompt will follow. The company noted that in countries where it has already tested the feature, the majority of teens have left the reminder on. It also plans to experiment with meditation exercises designed to improve sleep quality, the company said.
The changes come amid growing pressure on tech companies to strengthen safety protections for minors online. TikTok's new tools are similar to those already available on Instagram. And just last week, Apple introduced new child-safety measures that impact how minors' accounts are set up and what content they can access in the App Store.
Read more: TikTok Is Back In The App Stores. Here's What You Need to Know
TikTok said in a press release that the features aim to "reflect best practices in behavioral change theory by providing positive nudges that can help teens develop balanced long-term habits."
TikTok also addressed age assurance at a time when tech companies are facing increased scrutiny over how they verify users' ages. The company said it uses machine learning to prevent people under 13 from registering and to make sure that teens have an age-appropriate experience. TikTok said it is partnering with Telefonica, a telecommunications company, to understand how people can use age information from their phone provider to confirm their age.
'A very minor speed bump'
Devorah Heitner, author of "Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World," said companies are trying to get ahead of being externally regulated in the United States. She believes the vast majority of parents don't know how to engage with TikTok, so the new tools may help them set more clear boundaries and gain better insight into their kids' online habits.
"Educators and parents should work with kids to understand what they are learning from and enjoying in apps like TikTok, and mentor them so that they better understand how the algorithm can be manipulative and how to have strategies to manage time," she said.
At the same time, she said, "having to put a password in after one hour is a very minor speed bump. And soothing music at bedtime is no substitute for simply putting away the phone."
English (US) ·