TikTok is one of the hottest social media platforms used by teenagers and young adults. With all the viral dances, entertainment, and educational content, it can be hard to keep your children away from the app.
While TikTok has gained a lot of popularity, your children could be exposed to content that is harmful. There are concerns surrounding safety issues for children on the app, and parents need to find ways to keep their children safe on TikTok. So should your child be using TikTok? How can you make it more secure for youngsters?
Is TikTok Unsafe for Children?
If your child is under 13, they can access TikTok through the limited version of the app. In this version, your child can view content on TikTok and explore video features, but won't be allowed to create a profile or upload anything. They also can't share videos, comment on videos, or engage with other users on TikTok.
When you sign up for a TikTok account, you have to go through an age check process. While such an age-gate seems like a good way to keep children away from the potential dangers of TikTok, anyone can claim to be older than they are to have full access to the app.
Children between 13 and 15 years old are allowed to enjoy features in TikTok, such as owning a profile, and creating and posting videos. However, only friends on the app can comment on videos. As a parent, you might not feel comfortable not knowing what your child is exposed to on the service. Luckily, you can use TikTok's parental controls feature to monitor your child's activity on TikTok.
How to Use TikTok Parental Controls
To protect children on TikTok, every parent should read TikTok’s guardian guide. This can help you understand your privacy options on TikTok, as well as how to make TikTok safer for your children with family pairing.
TikTok allows you to link your child's account to your own TikTok account. This lets you use parental control settings to enable a safer TikTok experience for your child.
Here's how to use parental controls on TikTok:
- Create a TikTok account for your child on their device.
- Open the TikTok app on your device.
- Tap the hamburger menu in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings and Privacy.
- Under the Content & Activity section, select Family Pairing.
- Tap Continue.
- TikTok will open a family pairing screen, Select Parent, then tap next.
By linking your child's account to yours, you can:
- Manage your child's screen time on TikTok.
- Limit who can send messages, or completely switch off messaging.
- Restrict inappropriate content from appearing.
Is TikTok a Security Risk?
It’s important to separate the dangers caused by TikTok and those caused by social media platforms in general. Social media has a bad reputation, but there are reasons TikTok in particular can be seen as a security risk for kids.
Children on TikTok can be exposed to dangerous trends. School children have previously engaged in trends that encouraged criminal activity, such as the “Devious Lick” challenge, where students would show off videos of themselves stealing items from school and damaging school property. While children often think these as harmless fun, some of those challenges are dangerous and could land your kids in trouble.
Even though harmful challenges are eventually removed by TikTok, the original trend-setting video reached over 300 000 views before it was removed. On TikTok, challenges go viral within minutes, and there’s no telling when the next dangerous challenge will pop up and gain popularity.
The platform makes it easy for child predators to find videos of children, which makes them vulnerable to grooming. Sometimes, children are unaware of the harmful effects of sharing too much content on TikTok, which is why you should monitor them online.
What’s Wrong With TikTok?
TikTok is bad for everyone, but even more so for teenagers.
In addition to TikTok's security concerns, the app's format is designed to make you addicted. The addictive nature of the app has been linked to affecting your attention span when used for more than 90 minutes. This is more concerning for children because their brains are still developing.
Because of TikTok’s “For You Page”, the algorithm shows you content based on your past activities and interests. This makes it easy to spend hours on the app because you're bound to find videos you enjoy, which makes you want more.
Because of the high volumes of content on TikTok, the glamorization of beauty standards, and the urge to go viral, teenagers are prone to issues of anxiety and lower self-esteem. There’s also constant use of profanity and provocative language in videos, and it’s almost impossible to keep your child away from popular trends on TikTok when the app centers around them.
Should I Delete TikTok?
TikTok, like any other social media platform, can be a playground for inappropriate and harmful content. If you're determined to monitor your child's behavior on the app, then it's easier to reduce the security risk on TikTok.
Without parental involvement, such as family pairing, children are at a higher risk of the dangers of TikTok. Teenagers can be targeted by predators, or they could risk their privacy without knowing it.
However, there's also a positive side to this app.
TikTok might be popular for viral songs and dances, but that's not all this platform has to offer. If you're able to monitor your children, they can use TikTok as a creative outlet; they can also learn to express their emotions, gain new knowledge, and get exposed to other cultures across the globe.
Keep Children Safe On TikTok
TikTok has made some efforts to keep children safe on the app. But there's only so much that can be done by TikTok itself. In order to ensure the safety of children, parents have to be involved in their children's online activities.
Even though there are concerns regarding TikTok, it's not all bad. When used within certain limitations, the app can provide a positive experience.