TikTok has announced several new features launching today for teens and parents to help “build balanced digital habits.” Here’s what that means.
For parents of TikTok teens
A big part of today’s new batch of features is giving new tools to parents for monitoring their teen’s use of TikTok.
To that end, there are two new features launching:
- Time Away: “Today, we’re enhancing Family Pairing by launching a way for parents to block their teens from being on TikTok during times that they control…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.”
- Following Transparency: “We’re also adding a Family Pairing feature that can allow parents to see who their teen is following on TikTok, and who follows them, along with accounts their teen has blocked.”
These updates join the list of ~15 existing ways parents and caregivers can manage their teen’s TikTok experience.
For teens: Wind down and reporting
The updates today aren’t limited to parent-facing features. TikTok is also offering new capabilities directly for teens, designed to help them achieve healthier digital habits.
There are two additions specifically for teens:
- Wind Down: 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.
- Reporting: We also hear that parents want to know more about the content their teens engage with on our app. In response, in the coming months, when a teen reports a video they think may be against TikTok’s rules, they can choose to alert a parent, caregiver, or other trusted adult at the same time, even if they aren’t using Family Pairing.
For wind down specifically, TikTok adds: ”In the coming weeks, we’ll also test adding meditation exercises to the wind down reminder, as research shows that mindful meditation can improve sleep quality.”
9to5Mac’s Take
It’s good to see TikTok give parents and teens more tools to engage in healthier ways with the app and each other. Though Apple offers systemwide features like Screen Time, for social media apps like TikTok that can prove so addictive, I think the more available tools the better.
What do you think of TikTok’s new teen and parents features? Let us know in the comments.
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