The majority of teenagers have an account on TikTok, and the platform is now aiming to curb late-night scrolling with a fullscreen prompt encouraging users to take a moment, relax, and get ready for sleep. Recently, TikTok has intensified its focus on the safety and well-being of its younger audience by implementing additional parental controls.
In addition to a new meditation feature, this update empowers parents by giving them greater oversight of the content their children can access on the app. Parents have the ability to reactivate the STEM-focused feed if it was previously disabled and can create personalized daily screen time restrictions. By default, users under 18 will experience a limit of one hour of usage per day.
Another aspect of the updates allows parents to revert a child’s account to private settings, even if the child has set it to public. The Time Away feature enables parents to restrict TikTok access during certain periods, such as during school hours or family meals.
These parental control features, coupled with increased awareness about the impact of social media and short video content on adolescents’ mental health, can help address rising issues such as anxiety and depression. Numerous studies indicate that TikTok can negatively affect mental health, while others suggest that the quick rewards from viewing short videos may diminish attention spans.
The “wind down” feature, as termed by TikTok, serves as a gentle reminder for teenagers to take a break. It activates a full-screen takeover that plays soothing music and guides users through a breathing exercise. If they persist in using the app after the first reminder, TikTok issues a second, more forceful prompt.
Dr. Vicki Harrison, a member of TikTok’s Content Advisory Council, stated, “TikTok has taken steps in response to requests from both teens and their families for tools that promote well-being while using the platform. Emphasizing sleep, balanced use, and fostering conversations between parents and teens about social media habits are all constructive measures I hope become more prevalent.”
TikTok prohibits users under 13 and automatically disables nighttime push notifications for all accounts belonging to users under 16.
