JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – TikTok is the latest app to take over children’s screens, with users posting videos of choreographed dances or pretty much them doing anything.
That’s where the problem lies: There’s not much regulation as to who can post what on the popular app that Sensor Tower data shows has been downloaded more than 1.5 billion times worldwide.
But this week, TikTok announced a new feature called Family Safety Mode, which links a parent’s TikTok account to their teen’s account.
Once enabled, the parent will be able to control the amount of screen time used each day and limit who can send messages to the connected account or turn off messaging completely. The parent will also be able to restrict the appearance of content that may be inappropriate.
To be clear, these settings were already available in the app for users to set for themselves. The Family Safety Mode just puts a parent or guardian in charge of toggling the switches on or off for their child and prevents the settings from being changed without the parent’s involvement.
Family Safety Mode is currently available in the United Kingdom, but TikTok said it will roll out to other markets in the coming weeks.