Is your kid spending too much time on TikTok? The app announced new features to help reduce screen time for younger screen time.
TikTok will limit teens to 60 minutes of daily usage in the coming weeks. If users under 18 years reach the limit, they must enter a passcode to continue.
They could disable the feature, but TikTok will ask users to set a new limit once they spend more than 100 minutes daily.
How TikTok helps reduce screen time
TikTok said it consulted experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital to determine how long its new restriction should last.
Cormac Keenan, Head of Trust and Safety at TikTok, elaborated on the new TikTok teen rules:
“While there’s no collectively-endorsed position on how much screen time is ‘too much,’ or even the impact of screen time more broadly….”
“…we recognize that teens typically require extra support as they explore the online world independently.”
The app will send weekly notifications summarizing their screen time, letting teens know how much time they spend on the app.
Also, it will apply the hour-long restriction to children under 13 years using the “TikTok for Younger Users” limited app experience.
It requires a parent or guardian to set or enter a passcode to allow an additional 30 minutes of screen time.
Other ways to limit TikTok usage for kids
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Reducing screen time can help teen well-being, but you could also protect them from explicit content by activating Restricted Mode.
Turn it on by opening your kid’s TikTok app and tapping the Profile option. Next, select the Menu button and then the Settings and privacy option.
Tap the Content preferences option and then the Restricted Mode. Then, follow the steps to set or input a passcode to toggle Restricted Mode on or off.
Note that this feature only works on the TikTok app, not mobile or desktop versions. Moreover, you can apply video keyword filters to keep them from searching specific content.
Start by tapping the Profile option at the bottom. Then, the Menu button, and then the Settings and privacy option.
Select the Add keywords option and enter a term or hashtag you want to filter. Next, specify the feeds that will have the filter.
Tap Save to confirm. You may add up to 100 keywords and delete them anytime. Also, parents and guardians could take control of their child’s TikTok safety settings via Family Pairing.
You and your kid must have a TikTok app to use this feature. Set it up by opening the Profile option of your TikTok app.
Next, tap the Menu button, the Settings and privacy option, and then the Family Pairing option.
Select the Parent option for your TikTok app. Next, follow the previous steps for your child’s app, but select the Teen option instead of Parent.
Follow the in-app steps to link Parent and Teen accounts. Family Paring lets you toggle on or off various features for your child.
You may decide your child’s Daily Screen Time. Also, you can change the Discoverability to private or public.
Having a private account means your teen can approve who can follow and view their content.
You can decide whether your teen can search hashtags, videos, or livestreams on TikTok. Moreover, you can restrict people who can directly message your teen.
Conclusion
TikTok will implement a 60-minute limit for teen users to promote their overall health. Also, it improved Family Pairing for the adults supervising them.
Nowadays, children use several social media platforms, so parents must implement limits on those too. For example, Facebook has Privacy Settings for Teens.
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