Popular social networking app and video platform TikTok will limit teenage users to 60 minutes of screen time per day as part of a range of new wellbeing features.
In the weeks ahead, any TikTok account that belongs to a user under the age of 18 will automatically be set to a one-hour daily limit. This is not an opt-in setting, it will be the default for accounts of that age, TikTok announced tonight.
"While there's no collectively-endorsed position on the 'right' amount of screen time or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we consulted the current academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital in choosing this limit," Cormac Keenan, the head of trust and safety for TikTok, said.
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It is, however, not a fixed setting, and users can choose to disable the limit. In that instance, teenagers who use TikTok for more than 100 minutes per day will be prompted to set a daily screen time limit for themselves.
Just as important, the limit is not a hard limit. If a teen reaches the 60-minute limit, they will see a passcode prompt which they will need to enter to continue watching - a way of forcing them to make an "active decision" to extend that time, TikTok said.
Critically, control for this setting can be placed in the hands of a user's parent if Family Pairing is enabled.
Family Pairing is a setting that links a child's account to their parent's, and allows a parent to set screen time, restrict some content and place restrictions on who the child can message on the app.
For a family where the setting is in place, any adjustment to screen time limits must be made by the parent account.
Improvements to the Family Pairing settings allow for different screen time limits to be set depending on the day of the week, a dashboard for parents to understand the app time usage, and a setting that allows all TikTok notifications to be muted at times agreed upon by the parent and child.
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Currently, accounts for users aged 13-15 won't get notifications from the app after 9pm, and ages 16-17 won't see notifications from 10pm. By using Family Pairing, parents can change this time as they see fit.
Every single user of TikTok will now be able to set screen time limits per day of the week, and disable notifications on a schedule.
These in-app controls are unique to TikTok and are an important step for families where no other controls exist. Families using Apple devices already have access to the advanced Apple Screen Time app, which can be used to limit usage by category or individual app, as well as setting downtime and overall device screen limits.
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Importantly, the limits under TikTok's new Family Pairing do require a strong level of trust between parent and child - trust that ensures the child is declaring their account or accounts to their parent, and agreeing to be part of the Family Pairing system.
Most experts agree that these tools are useful for the digital wellbeing of children but must be used in conjunction with conversations about any rules or limits, to ensure all members of the family understand the reasoning behind the rules, which helps avoid having children working to circumvent them.
TikTok's new default 60-minute time-limit will come into effect in the coming weeks.
