TikTok has revealed a new feature known as Family Safety Mode which is basically giving parents control over certain aspects of their kids’ account. Parents can set limits on their child’s use of the app and this includes limiting their screen time, restricting their direct messages and a mode that includes regulating the presence of inappropriate content coming up on their feeds.
The way this would work is parents would have to create their own accounts on the TikTok app and this would then have to be linked to their kids account so they can use the Family Safety Mode feature. When this mode is enabled, parents can then restrict the child’s screen time for this app; adjust settings for the direct messages they receive and they can even turn them off, and they can even switch the restricted mode that would keep a check on unsuitable content.
These features did already exist on the app but the users had to enable it on their own. With the option of Family Safety Mode, the parents or guardians of the child have control of turning this feature on or off and therefore inhibits changing the settings without permission from the said parent or guardian.
At the moment it is unclear how good of a job the restricted mode will do since the entire process of what this mode entails hasn’t been explained in detail. Since TikTok is an app with a lot of users and it operates on such a large scale, it is mostly going to be aware of inappropriate content when flagged by other users of the app. So this mode can only do so much and parents need to know that this isn’t without its flaws and somethings are bound to slip through the cracks and they will not be able to completely control what their kids see.
On the other hand, this feature does seem to address some major concerns parents have like the amount of time spent on the app and direct messages that their children might receive.
This feature was designed while keeping in mind European laws and so in the US, the app provides age-gates for the youngsters but does not give parental controls like this.
On top of launching this family safety mode, the TikTok also collaborated with content creators as to make videos addressing safety and the time people spend on the app while encouraging them to put down their phones and take a break. They will also feature the videos on the app starting off in UK and then making their way into other markets overtime.
Image Credits: © TikTok
h/t: Business Insider