TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms among kids and teens. According to research from Pew Research Center, 67% of teens say they use TikTok. Source
The platform’s growth in popularity among young users has sparked understandable concerns among parents about the content their children may be exposed to. While much of the content is lighthearted fun, some inappropriate or mature content can also make its way onto feeds.
Fortunately, TikTok does offer a variety of parental control features that allow parents to restrict certain types of content and monitor their child’s activity. This article will provide an overview of the parental control options available and tips for keeping kids safe on TikTok.
Age Restrictions
TikTok requires users to be at least 13 years old to create an account, as outlined in their Terms of Service. If a user is under 13, they can create a managed “Child Account” with approval from a parent or legal guardian.
To set up a Child Account, a parent must download the TikTok app and follow the prompts to link their own TikTok account to their child’s. This allows the parent to monitor the Child Account and control settings. Parents can restrict content, limit screen time, and turn off messaging. Child Accounts have limited functionality – they cannot live stream, buy coins, or view content marked for older teens and adults.
According to TikTok’s safety guidelines, the Child Account restricts:”access to content not appropriate for minors, private messaging, commenting publicly, and more.” The parent remains responsible for the Child Account’s online safety.
Content Moderation
TikTok utilizes a combination of artificial intelligence and a team of human moderators to review content and determine if it violates their community guidelines. The AI scans videos, captions, hashtags, comments, and more to flag potentially problematic content. Human moderators then review anything flagged by the AI or reported by users to make a final decision on whether to remove it (Quantanite).
According to TikTok, the moderation team reviews content in over 20 languages and works 24/7 to moderate the platform. They aim to remove any content showing illegal activities, hate speech, adult nudity, harassment, misleading information, and more (Quora).
However, some limitations and criticisms of TikTok’s moderation efforts include:
– The large volume of content makes it difficult to thoroughly moderate. Hundreds of hours of video are uploaded every minute.
– The moderation guidelines are not always transparent, consistently enforced, or reflective of cultural nuances.
– Users have raised concerns about biases in moderation, such as content from marginalized groups being more likely to be removed.
– Moderation relies heavily on users reporting content, which means problematic content can slip through if not reported.
– Policies seem to focus more on removing content than protecting users from harm or harassment (Quantanite).
While TikTok does make efforts to keep their platform safe, there is still room for improvement when it comes to content moderation.
Digital Wellbeing Controls
TikTok has built-in digital wellbeing controls that allow parents to limit how much time their child spends on the app and filter out potentially inappropriate content. Parents can set daily screen time limits, restrict access to certain features like direct messaging, enable restricted mode, and make accounts private.
Setting daily screen time limits is one of the simplest ways to control TikTok usage. Parents can limit daily use from 40 to 120 minutes per day. Once the time limit is reached, the child will be prompted to take a break. This can help prevent endless scrolling.
TikTok’s restricted mode is similar to a content filter, blocking videos that may contain inappropriate language, themes, or content. Enabling restricted mode can help limit a child’s exposure to content parents deem unsuitable. However, it’s not 100% comprehensive. Some questionable content may slip through the filters.
Making an account private is another option. This prevents videos from being visible to all TikTok users. Only approved followers can view private account videos. Limiting discoverability can help give parents more control over who interacts with their child (source: https://famisafe.wondershare.com/social-media-apps/tiktok-digital-wellbeing.html).
Comment Controls
An important way to control what your child sees on TikTok is by managing comments. TikTok allows users to disable comments on their videos entirely or filter comments based on keywords.
To disable comments on your child’s videos, go to the “Privacy and Safety” section in your child’s TikTok settings. Toggle “Allow Comments” off. This will prevent any comments from being left on your child’s videos.
TikTok also allows filtering comments based on keywords. Go to the “Keyword Filter” section in settings. Here you can add keywords or phrases that you want to automatically filter from your child’s comments. Any comment containing these words will be hidden. This helps filter out inappropriate or unwanted comments without disabling comments completely. For more info, see this guide on controlling comments on TikTok.
Monitoring your child’s comments and using TikTok’s comment controls responsibly allows them to interact safely on the platform.
Blocking and Reporting
TikTok allows you to block other users in order to control the content your child sees. To block another user, go to their profile and tap the three dots in the upper right corner. Select “Block” to block that user. Your child will no longer be able to view any of their content. You can also block users directly from any of their videos or comments by tapping the three dots and selecting “Block [username].”
Blocking is permanent unless your child decides to unblock the user. You can see a list of blocked accounts under Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Blocked Accounts. Blocking does not notify the user that they have been blocked.
If your child comes across inappropriate content or behavior that violates TikTok’s community guidelines, you can report it directly within the app. Tap the share arrow on a video or comment and select “Report.” You will be prompted to select a reason for reporting, such as nudity, harassment, violence, illegal activities, and more. TikTok moderators will review the report and take action if necessary, which could include removing the content or suspending the account.
TikTok recommends reporting content that exposes private body parts or sexual situations, promotes dangerous behavior, involves cruelty to animals, or infringes your intellectual property rights. Reporting helps make the platform safer.
Sources:
https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/reporting-inappropriate-content/
https://www.tiktok.com/community-guidelines?lang=en
Monitoring Usage
One of the most effective ways to understand what your child sees on TikTok is to regularly review their viewing history. This allows you to see videos, hashtags, effects, and sounds they have interacted with. You can do this directly within the TikTok app by going to your child’s profile and selecting “Viewing history”. This shows the last 7 days of activity. If you want to go back further or track viewing history over time, you’ll need to use third party parental control apps like FamilyTime or FamiSafe which provide detailed monitoring and reporting.
Another useful option is enabling notifications – this allows you to get alerts about your child’s TikTok activity sent to your device. You can set notifications for things like new followers, messages, and time spent in the app. This gives you real-time insight into their TikTok usage. However, you’ll need a third party app to enable robust notifications. The native TikTok app only provides basic notifications.
Talking To Your Child
One of the most important ways to help control what your child sees on TikTok is to have open and honest conversations with them about online safety and your expectations.
Discuss potential dangers like interacting with strangers, oversharing personal information, or viewing inappropriate content. Explain that some “challenges” or “trends” can be dangerous and they should talk to you first before participating. Outline your rules and boundaries around phone/app usage and reinforce why you have them in place.
Talk to your child about the types of videos they like to make and watch. Discuss strategies for dealing with bullying, unwanted messages, or content that makes them uncomfortable. Let them know they can always come to you if something happens online that upsets them or if they ever feel unsafe.
Ongoing communication builds trust and keeps the lines of dialogue open as your child gets older. Maintain involvement in their digital lives and continue checking in as their online interests and behaviors evolve over time.
Third Party Apps
In addition to the built-in controls provided by TikTok, there are third party apps that offer additional parental control features. Some apps allow parents to monitor screen time, filter inappropriate content, and view TikTok usage and history. Examples of third party apps include Qustodio, SafeToNet, and Bark.
Qustodio is a comprehensive parental control app that works across multiple platforms and devices. It allows parents to set time limits, filter mature content, and view full activity reports of a child’s TikTok usage. SafeToNet uses AI to analyze and filter harmful content in real-time. Bark monitors texts, YouTube, email, and 30+ apps for signs of issues like cyberbullying, depression, and online predators.
While third party apps provide additional controls, experts warn they are not foolproof. It is still important for parents to have open conversations with their child about using TikTok responsibly and safely.
Conclusion
In summary, while some inappropriate or harmful content can make its way onto TikTok, parents have several tools at their disposal to help control what their children see. Setting age restrictions, utilizing built-in digital wellbeing controls, monitoring your child’s usage, and maintaining open communication can go a long way in creating a safe environment. However, nothing can replace direct parental supervision and engaging with your child about what they are viewing.
It’s important for parents to educate themselves on TikTok’s features so they can have informed discussions with their kids. Being involved, showing interest in your child’s online activities, and talking about online safety helps build trust. With some reasonable precautions, parents can allow their kids to explore TikTok, while still protecting them from inappropriate content.
