TikTok has announced changes that will reduce the amount of time teenagers spend on the app.
There are a lot of teenagers who are spending too much time scrolling through the app which is understood to be very unhealthy.
In response to worries around screen time for many parents, the app is introducing new automatic daily screen time limits for teen account holders.
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Announcing the changes, the social media giant said: "In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit.
"If the 60-minute limit is reached, teens will be prompted to enter a passcode in order to continue watching, requiring them to make an active decision to extend that time.
“For people in our under 13 experience, the daily screen time limit will also be set to 60 minutes, and a parent or guardian will need to set or enter an existing passcode to enable 30 minutes of additional watch time”.
Parents will also be able to set a custom daily screen time limit for their teens, which they can adjust for each day of the week, using TikTok's new Family Pairing feature.
The screen time dashboard will provide caregivers with summaries of time on the app, the number of times TikTok was opened, and a breakdown of the total time spent during the day and night.
Parents will also be able to set a custom schedule to mute TikTok notifications and limit the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences.
Starting from April 30, members of the TikTok community under 16 will have their Direct Messages automatically disabled. Caregivers can manually restrict who can send messages to the connected account, or leave direct messaging turned off.
A TikTok spokesman also said: "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 behaviour.
“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”.
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