TikTok’s rolling out some new tools to help parents manage their kids’ use of the app, and ensure that they are indeed taking breaks from TikTok’s addictive, never-ending ‘For You’ feed.
Which can be a big problem, as TikTok’s highly attuned algorithm can keep showing you more and more videos that you’re interested in on a constant loop. It’s easy to lose hours mindlessly scrolling, and for young users, that can have major impacts, in terms of exposure to potentially harmful elements, as well as their capacity to concentrate if they don’t get enough sleep.
As such, these latest updates from TikTok will be welcome news to many parents.
First off, TikTok’s adding a new element to its Family Paring functionality that will enable parents to block TikTok access at chosen times of the day.
As you can see in this example, now, parents will have the option to restrict access to the app, from TikTok’s own in-app toolkit, in order to limit usage.
As per TikTok:
“Whether it’s during family time, school, at night, or a weekend away, caregivers can use our new Time Away feature to decide when it’s best for their teens to take a break. Parents can also set a reoccurring schedule to best suit their family life. If plans change, teens can request extra time, but parents make the final decision.”
Various third-party screen time monitoring tools already enable parents to control the same thing, but this is built into TikTok direct, which will provide more control options for parents and carers.
TikTok’s also adding a new function that will enable parents to see who their teen is following on TikTok, and who follows them, along with any accounts that their teen has blocked.
That could be another protective measure, ensuring that parents maintain some awareness of their child’s activity in the app, without being too intrusive.
Finally, TikTok’s also adding a new “Wind Down” feature which will encourage young users to log off the app at night.
“If a teen under 16 is on TikTok after 10pm, their For You feed will be interrupted with our new wind down feature. At launch, this is a full-screen takeover with calming music to help teens relax and be mindful of the time. If a teen decides to spend additional time on TikTok after the first reminder, we show a second, harder to dismiss, full-screen prompt.”
TikTok says that it’s been testing this feature in some regions, and the response has been largely positive, with many teens opting to keep these alerts on, even when they can disable them.
Which is a good sign, in that TikTok users are becoming more aware of the addictive impacts of the app, and the need for rest from the endless scroll.
And that is important. Various reports have highlighted the addictive nature of social apps, and the expanded impacts that over-exposure can have, especially on younger, more impressionable users. And while some regions are considering bans and restrictions to stop teens even accessing social apps in the first place, the concern with that approach is that it also eliminates the positive benefits, including key interactive and social functions that these platforms now facilitate.
As such, parental awareness is likely more important, and more beneficial overall. But managing this is time consuming, and it can be difficult for parents to remain mindful of such at all times.
Which is where tools like this can come in handy, providing more capacity for parents to help their kids manage their social media exposure.
You can read more about TikTok’s latest teen safety updates here.
