TikTok announced a set of new screen time limit features aimed at limiting usage for teenagers and playing “a positive role in how people express themselves.”
TikTok limits teen users with new screen time limit features
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Chinese social media company’s Global Head of Trust and Safety Cormac Keenan revealed that the new changes will impact the app’s screen time tool, introduce new default settings for teen accounts and expand “Family Pairing with more parental controls.”
In a few weeks, Keenan added, TikTok accounts belonging to users aged below 18 “will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit.”
This means that teen users who create accounts using their actual birth date will only be allowed a maximum of one hour per day on TikTok.
Keenan admitted that while there is no peer-reviewed research on the impact of screen time on this population group, recommendations from the Digital Wellness Lab indicated that a 60-minute usage limit was appropriate to promote awareness.
Therefore, as part of TikTok’s ongoing safety campaign, the social media platform will, in weeks to come, roll out these new features:
- 60-minute screen time limits for users below 18 (users will be prompted to enter a passcode in order to continue watching, requiring them to make an active decision to extend that time).
- Direct messaging is only available to users aged 16 and older.
- Family Pairing to customise daily screen time limit for their teens.
- Screen time dashboard to Family Pairing, which provides summaries of time on the app, the number of times TikTok was opened, and a breakdown of total time spent during the day and night.
- Mute notifications schedule for teens.
“We’ll continue to invest in improving our current features as well as introducing new tools to help people stay in control as they express their creativity, make meaningful connections, and enjoy culture-defining entertainment,” Keenan said.