TikTok is giving parents of its millions of young users more options to restrict what their kids can see and share.
The short-form video app announced on Tuesday a set of new parental controls, including the ability for teens to decide what content they can search for on TikTok, comment on their profile, which videos they like, and who can see their profile.
“Our goal is to strike a balance between safety and autonomy for young people while trying to create a safe and supportive place for self-expression ,” Tracy Elizabeth, the company’s head of global children’s content safety policy, and Alexandra Evans, head of children’s content, said in a safety public policy blog post for Europe
The new measures are part of TikTok’s Family Matching feature, which was rolled out in select European countries in February this year, allowing parents to link their accounts to their teens. Previously called Family Safety Mode, this feature allowed parents to set limits on how much time their kids spend on TikTok each day, what type of content they can view, and their ability to limit or turn off direct messages. TikTok is now expanding these features and making them available worldwide.
“As teens begin to build an online presence, we believe it’s important to provide families with tools so parents and teens can build railings together,” Elizabeth and Evans said.
