TikTok Introduces New Family Safety Mode Features To Give Parents Control & Help Their Teens Stay Safe
Photo: TikTok
As part of TikTok’s “ongoing commitment to providing users with features and resources to have the best experience” on the platform, the China-based company has announced a series of new Family Safety Mode features.
Announced via a blog post by Cormac Keenan, the Head of Trust and Safety, EMEA, the new Family Safety Mode features are focused on helping parents and guardians keep their teens safe on the popular app.
Family Safety Mode works by letting a parent or guardian link their TikTok account to their teens’ TikTok account. Once connected, that parent or guardian will be able to control Digital Wellbeing tools for their teen that include Screen Time Management, Direct Messages, and Restricted Mode.
Below is a breakdown of each of the tools and what they entail:
Screen Time Management: Control how long their teen can spend on TikTok each day.
Direct Messages: Limit who can send messages to the connected account or turn off direct messaging completely.
Restricted Mode: Restrict the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences.
These features existed on the platform before, but only the specific user of the account had access to them.
As of right now, the features are only available in the UK. However, they are expected to be rolled out in other markets in the coming weeks.
Insights & Analysis:
These features come at a time where Byte-Dance, TikTok’s parent company has been under heavy scrutiny by the U.S. and U.K. governments over concerns around data protection and user safety. In fact, Byte-Dance was fined last year, $5.7 million by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly illegally collecting the data of users under the age of 13.
Due to this, TikTok has been slowly rolling out new resources focused on user privacy and safety such as its @TikTokTips branded account that features popular creators delivering messages about the platform’s safety features and best practices and its You Are In Control video series that offers users information and safety guidelines on tools available for users to stay safe on the app.
.@TikTok_Us launched a branded handle called TikTokTips that is focused on promoting “privacy, safety and positive vibes.”
— Lindsey Gamble (@LindseyGamble_) February 11, 2020
Cc: @MattNavarra @adhutchinson @socialmedia2day pic.twitter.com/ISCGgb0ZTG
The addition of Family Safety Mode further strengthens the company’s recent commitment to user safety and should appease parents and guardians who have concerns over their teens using the app. While it’s another step in the right direction for the budding app to combat some of the negative attention that it has received, it certainly isn’t enough.
As TikTok continues to grow and more eyes are on the platform, there will be likely be increased scrutiny, causing TikTok the need to continue to dedicate its efforts to resources and processes related to data protection and user safety. I think this will be just as important as it trying to find new ways and develop new features to keep users entertained on the app.
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SOURCE: TikTok Newsroom
