TikTok: Teens on social network could have screen time limited by their parents
Written by News on 19/02/2020
TikTok will be implementing new safety features, which means a parent can link their account to their child’s and control the content they see.
The new family safety mode will also allow parents to control the amount of screen time on the social network, who can directly message the account, and restrict certain types of content.
In a blog post announcing the new safety features, TikTok’s head of trust and safety in Europe Cormac Keenan said: “When people use TikTok, we know they expect an experience that is fun, authentic, and safe.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to providing users with features and resources to have the best experience on TikTok, we are announcing family safety mode, a new feature to help parents and guardians keep their teens safe on TikTok.
“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.”
It follows proposals by the government last week around the regulation of internet firms.
The plans include forcing social media companies to abide by a duty of care to users – or face punishment.
Announcing the measures last week, former culture secretary Baroness Morgan said it would give the public the “protections, accountability and transparency” they deserve.
On Monday, fellow social media giant Facebook published proposed guidelines for regulators on suggested “new rules for the internet”.
These included provisions to protect freedom of speech and encouraging more independent oversight on content moderation.
Former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg, now Facebook’s head of global affairs and communications, said the company “wants to work with policymakers”.
TikTok was one of the most downloaded apps of 2019 and is becoming increasingly popular among young people, at a time when debate continues around the impact of social media use on younger users.
The app introduced screen time management tools last year, but the latest update will prompt users in their feed.
Mr Keenan said the prompts would “remind our community to be aware of the time they spend on TikTok and to encourage them to consider taking some time out”.
(c) Sky News 2020: TikTok: Teens on social network could have screen time limited by their parents
