TikTok brings a new limitation for teens

TikTok will prevent teens from using the app unconsciously, with a 60-minute screen time for users under the age of 18.

Today, TikTok shared a new blog post under the "safety" category, announcing that it is taking precautions to prevent teens from misusing the app. The company has contacted academic researchers and experts beforehand and set a new 60-minute timer for teens after the consultation.

The blog post said, "In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit. While there's no collectively-endorsed position on the 'right' amount of screen time or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we consulted the current academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital in choosing this limit."

TikTok's new feature will apply to all the accounts, including new and existing ones. However, teens will have the chance to disable it under one circumstance. If they disable it and spend over 100 minutes in one day, the app automatically asks them to set a screen time limit. Teens under 13 years old will also get a 60-minute screen time limit by default, and a parent or guardian will need to set or enter an existing passcode to enable 30 minutes of additional watch time.

Three new features to Family Pairing

Family Pairing was introduced three years ago, which allows parents and teens to customize their safety settings based on individual needs. TikTok revealed three new features coming to Family Pairing; customize daily screen times, screen time dashboard, and mute notifications. "Caregivers will be able to use Family Pairing to customize the daily screen time limit for their teen," says the blog post. Secondly, parents will be able to see their teens' summary of TikTok usage, including time spent on the app, the number of times TikTok was opened, and a breakdown of total time spent during the day and night. Lastly, caregivers will be able to mute notifications which can be used at times that are too important to be interrupted.

"Family Pairing is an opportunity for parents and teens to collaborate on developing healthy online habits. It's not parental control, it's parental involvement and an opportunity for parents and teens to learn from each other," said ConnectSafely President and CEO Larry Magid.

This is not the first time TikTok has set a privacy setting for teens. The social media platform has also set users between 13-15 to have their accounts private by default. Moreover, you must be 16 or over to use the direct messaging option and at least 18 to host a LIVE. Social media is not the safest place for teens, and TikTok reportedly continues to invest in improving the current tools while adding more safety features.

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