A 60-minute daily screen time limit will be automatically enforced for all Internet users in the coming weeks. TikTok under 18 years. Teens who hit this limit will be asked to enter a passcode to continue viewing.
TikTok further indicated that they can turn the feature off entirely, but if they do so and spend more than 100 minutes on the app, they’ll be prompted to set a new limit.
The platform claimed that these updates increased the use of screen time management tools by 234% during the first month of testing this new feature.
Teens will be sent an inbox notification each week summarizing their screen time, which the entity says will make teens more aware of how much time they spend on the app.
These weekly updates are available now, along with prompts to encourage teens to use Screen Time tools.
It will also apply to children under the age of 13 using the limited “TikTok for younger users” app experience. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
In-app time limits
According to The Verge, international media outlet, TikTok consulted current academic research and experts from the Boston Children’s Hospital Digital Wellbeing Lab when deciding how long the time constraint should last.
In which they ensured that the recommended time limit is 60 minutes; In addition, it will apply to children under the age of 13 who use the limited experience of the application “TikTok for younger users”.
In this case, a parent or guardian will need to set or enter an existing passcode to enable 30 minutes of additional viewing time on the account if the screen time limit is reached.
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“While there is no collectively supported position on how much screen time is ‘too much,’ or even the impact of screen time more generally, we recognize that adolescents generally require additional support as they begin to explore the online world independently,” said Cormac Keenan, TikTok’s Head of Trust and Safety.
They will be automatically silenced from 9:00 p.m. for young people between 13 and 15 years old, while those between 16 and 17 years old have notifications deactivated from 10:00 p.m. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File
new features
On the other hand, four new features are also being added to Family PairingTikTok’s customizable parental controls that allow a parent or guardian to link their TikTok account to a younger user’s account.
Within this function you can apply custom limits, allowing restrictions to be adjusted based on the day of the week. New features for family pairing provide a Screen Time dashboard for parents and the ability to mute TikTok notifications on your child’s device.
Family Pairing will also grant access to TikTok’s screen time dashboard that summarizes how much time a child has spent on the app, how often it was opened, and a report detailing how much time was spent during the day and night.
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A new configuration of “mute notifications” will allow parents to set a time to mute notifications from the app. That is, they will be automatically silenced from 9:00 p.m. for young people between 13 and 15 years old, while those between 16 and 17 years old have notifications deactivated from 10:00 p.m.
TikTok said it is developing new content controls that will allow caregivers to filter videos with words or hashtags they don’t want their children to see. The company is working with “nurture, youth and civil society organizations,” the company concluded.
