TikTok has announced a new feature called Family Pairing, which lets parents control and customize their teens’ safety settings.
As more and more families turn to social platforms like TikTok these days, to express their creativity, share stories, communicate more effectively and show support for their communities, there is a much bigger need for more robust safety tools.
With this in mind, TikTok has been concentrating on improving its controls, policies, and access to educational resources so that families can have a safer experience on its platform.
Today, TikTok is expanding its parental controls further with a new feature called Family Pairing, which lets parents take control of their teens’ safety settings on the app, by linking their TikTok accounts.
TikTok Family Pairing Controls
As explained in the announcement, Family Pairing lets parents control the following settings:
- Screen Time Management: How long a teen can spend on TikTok each day. TikTok says it has partnered with top creators to make short videos that appear right in the app, encouraging users to be mindful of their time spent on the app.
- Restricted Mode: Places a limit on the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences. Even without Family Pairing enabled, parents can help their teen set Screen Time Management and Restricted Mode by visiting the app’s Digital Wellbeing controls at any time.
- Direct Messages: Restrict who can send messages to the connected account, or turn off direct messaging completely. TikTok already has several policies and controls for messaging, but this goes one step further. Also, starting April 30, TikTok will be automatically disabling Direct Messages for registered accounts under the age of 16.
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However, the feature ultimately also promotes digital literacy:
“Many users start their creator journey at 13 and are introduced to a wider array of app options for download, making it a critical time for teens and their families to learn about digital literacy and smart online behavior,” explains Jeff Collins, Senior Director of Trust & Safety at TikTok.
“In addition to Family Pairing, TikTok already offers a number of resources to support users on this journey, including educational safety videos and parental guides like our Top Ten Tips for Parents.”
Family Pairing will be rolling out over the next few weeks.