Tiktok Revamps Teen Safety Protocols With New Limits And Features

TikTok's Mission: Safer Spaces for Teens Online

In a significant push for digital safety, TikTok is implementing over 50 pre-set safety and privacy features specifically designed for its teenage users. The platform, which requires users to be at least 13 years old, has curtailed direct messaging capabilities for its younger audience. Users aged 13 to 15 will find DMs disabled, while those aged 16 to 17 have DMs turned off by default, ensuring that only friends can send messages when this setting is adjusted.

“With teen accounts under 18, their accounts are private by default,” TikTok's Gonzalez explains, emphasizing the importance of privacy and security for younger users.

Teens' accounts are set to private by default, putting up a barrier against unsolicited views from strangers and keeping adult audiences at bay. This means that posts from 13 to 15-year-olds won't appear in adult "For You" feeds, adding a protective layer for younger users.

Tools for Empowerment and Awareness

Beyond privacy settings, TikTok is introducing tools to foster healthier digital habits. A notable feature is the 60-minute default screen time limit, after which teens are prompted to reconsider continued use. Parents can also link their accounts to their children’s through the Family Pairing feature, granting them control over privacy settings, follower visibility, and report alerts.

Further empowering teens, options like Manage Topics and Smart Keyword Filtering offer control over content exposure by adjusting the frequency of content types and automatically blocking unwanted posts. A dedicated "Time and Well-being" section provides resources like a screen time dashboard and calming tools for healthier digital engagement.

Education and Shared Responsibility

While TikTok acknowledges no one-size-fits-all solution exists, the company remains committed to refining its safeguards. Gonzalez mentioned that TikTok is keenly aware of its algorithm's influence and is responsive to global findings, continuously enhancing its safety measures.

Community voices like Bitaña and Laison stress the necessity of digital rights education, helping minors recognize online risks and abuse, while Magno-Veluz and Portuguez highlight digital literacy as a vital life skill. This education becomes even more crucial as social media use can correlate with offline stress, warranting safe digital spaces more than ever.

As TikTok continues to innovate and adapt, the platform underscores that safeguarding minors is a collective responsibility, involving families, schools, civil society, and the tech industry itself.