TikTok has introduced a number of new features to better protect teens on the platform. Among the most significant is the ability for parents to restrict their children's access to the app at certain times and to view their subscriber lists.
Parents can now specify when teens should not have access to TikTok, such as during school hours, family gatherings, or at night. They can also set up a regular schedule to block the app.
Teens will be able to send requests to extend their time on TikTok, but only parents will be able to approve or deny them.
Another new feature is the ability for parents to see who their child has subscribed to, who they are following, and who they have blocked.\
Image: TikTok
The company is also launching a feature to encourage teens to reduce their smartphone use before bedtime.
Teens under the age of 16 who use TikTok after 10 p.m. will see a screen saver with soothing music to remind them to get some rest.
Gif: TikTok
Although the first reminder can be ignored, TikTok plans to display a second, more persistent message that will be harder to close. In the coming weeks, the company also plans to test integrating meditation exercises into these reminders.
Image: TikTok
In addition to the night mode, TikTok continues to improve its age verification technology, including using machine learning to prevent children under 13 from using the app.
The platform is currently working with telecommunications company Telefonica to explore the possibility of using age information from mobile operators.
In addition, TikTok will bring back the STEM Education feed, which focuses on content related to science, technology, engineering and math, for those teens who previously turned it off.
In recent years, TikTok has regularly introduced new safety features for teens in response to concerns about the impact of social media on young people.
Previously, TikTok introduced age restrictions on some of its beauty filters to reduce the negative impact on teens' mental health.
These innovations come amid an uncertain future for TikTok in the U.S., where a ban on the app has been delayed for 75 days since January by the Donald Trump administration.
