TikTok on Tuesday announced new safeguards for teen users, including a feature that automatically blocks their feeds after 10 p.m. The new “wind-down” setting will apply to users under the age of 16. If teens continue scrolling on their For You page after curfew, TikTok will take over the screen and begin playing calming music. If the first reminder is ignored, a second full-screen reminder will appear, making it harder to dismiss. In the coming weeks, TikTok also plans to add meditation exercises to help teens sleep better.
The company is also updating its Family Pairing tool, first introduced in 2020. A new “Time Away” feature will let parents set scheduled breaks for their children, with the option to create recurring time-off periods. If teens want more time, they can submit a request to their parents, who have final approval.
Parents using Family Pairing will now have access to more information about their teen’s activity. They’ll be able to see who their teen follows, who follows them, and which accounts have been blocked. TikTok says these updates aim to give parents better tools to talk with their children and teach digital literacy.
In addition, TikTok said it will continue using age assurance technology, including machine learning, to confirm users are over 13. The company has also partnered with telecommunications firm Telefónica to explore ways of using phone provider data to verify users’ ages more accurately.
