TikTok announced on Tuesday that it’s rolling out new features to protect teens on its app. The social network is giving parents the ability to block their teen from using TikTok during certain hours and see their teen’s following and followers lists through new Family Pairing features. TikTok is also going to encourage young users to put their phones away at night and go to sleep.
With the new “Time Away” feature, parents can block their teens from accessing TikTok during times that they control.
For instance, they can choose to block access during family time, school, at night, or a weekend away. Parents can also use the feature to set a recurring schedule for when they want to block access to the app. While teens can request extra time, parents can decide if they want to grant access.
In addition, parents can now see who their teen is following, and who follows them. They can also see who their teen has blocked. TikTok says this will allow parents to help their teens develop digital literacy skills and have ongoing conversations with them around safety.
In the coming months, when a teen reports a video they think may be against TikTok’s rules, they can choose to alert a parent, even if they aren’t using Family Pairing.
The social network is also adding customizable daily screen time limits. For example, parents can choose to give their teens 30 minutes of TikTok usage on weekdays, but an hour on the weekend.
Parents can now switch their teen’s account back to the default private setting if their teen has made it public. Plus, TikTok is also going to re-enable its STEM feed for teens who have turned it off.
As for the new “wind down” feature that encourages young users to switch off their phone at night, TikTok believes that it will help teens build balanced digital habits. Now, when a teen under 16 is on TikTok after 10 pm, their For You feed will display a full-screen takeover with calming music to encourage them to relax and be mindful of the time. If a teen dismisses the message, TikTok will show a second full-screen prompt.
In the coming weeks, TikTok is going to test adding meditation exercises to the wind down feature, as well.
TikTok has been introducing new teen safety features over the past few years in response to concerns over the app’s impact on its youngest users. TikTok, and other social networks, have faced questions from lawmakers during congressional hearings over how their platforms can negatively impact young users. The new features announced today are part of the company’s efforts to appease lawmakers.
These latest features come as TikTok’s fate in the U.S. remains uncertain, as President Donald Trump extended the TikTok ban’s deadline by 75 days back in January.
