Music video app TikTok this week introduced new parental controls to help keep teens safe online.
One of the top 10 most-downloaded apps of the last decade, TikTok is particularly popular among attention-seeking youth.
Which also makes it a parent’s worst nightmare.
Enter Family Safety Mode.
The function does require guardians to create their own TikTok account—a great way for the company to boost numbers while promoting security—which links to their teen.
Once enabled, adults can manage daily screen time, limit (or turn off) direct messages, and restrict the appearance of inappropriate content.
“As part of our commitment to safety, the wellbeing of our users is incredibly important to us,” Cormac Keenan, TikTok’s head of trust and safety for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, wrote in a blog announcement.
“We want people to have fun on TikTok,” he continued. “But it’s also important for our community to look after their wellbeing, which means having a healthy relationship with online apps and services.”
(If “healthy relationship” includes snooping parents.)
The feature may be welcome news for Mom and Dad. But I can’t imagine young users will appreciate the digital manipulation.
Meanwhile, nearly a year after it introduced Screen Time Management, TikTok has partnered with some of its trendiest creators to launch Screen Time Management in Feed.
New “unique and proactive” prompts remind users to “be aware” of the hours they spend on the app and encourage them to consider “taking some time out.”
Exactly how these in-app nudges will work remains unclear.
“We will keep introducing ways to keep our community safe so they can stay focused on what matters to them—creating, sharing, and enjoying the creativity of TikTok’s community,” Keenan said.
Family Safety Mode and Screen Time Management in Feed are available now in the UK; both features will begin rolling out to additional markets “in the coming weeks.”
More on Geek.com:
- 11 Year-Old Gets ‘Scammed’ Into Paying $4K for TikTok Influencer
- UK Proposes Stricter Child Safety Rules for Social Media
- BBC’s ‘Own It’ App Aims to Keep Kids Safe Online
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