What is CapCut?
What parents need to know
CapCut is a video editing app developed by the creators of TikTok. It allows users to edit videos quickly and easily, making it ideal for creating social media content such as TikToks and Instagram Reels.
In this guide
What is CapCut?
CapCut is a video editing tool that was developed by ByteDance, the same company that created TikTok.
The app is popular among a younger audience, as it allows them to easily edit and create short-form video content. This makes it perfect for social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. It is a massively popular app, with over a billion downloads on the Google Play store.
You can download CapCut from Google Play or the Apple App Store, and you can also use it on PC as a desktop app or directly in your browser.
The app offers a free version with basic editing tools, while a paid subscription unlocks premium features such as advanced editing options and high-resolution exports. For these features, CapCut starts from £21.99 per month.
CapCut age rating
The Apple App Store rates the app suitable for users aged 12 and up. CapCut’s Terms of Service state that users must be at least 13 years old to use the app with parent/guardian permission. Users should follow CapCut’s guidelines and only use the app if they are at least 13 years old.
How it works
People generally see CapCut as an accessible, beginner-friendly video editor that lets users create videos without much prior experience. Its user-friendly design can support teens who are just starting to learn video editing.
There is a wide selection of editing tools on the app. These include:
- Standard editing: the ability to crop videos, reorder them and change speed.
- Audio: users can add music and sound effects to videos from a wide audio library on the app.
- Text: videos can have text overlaid, including the ability to create automated captions to reflect the audio in the video.
- Visual effects: filters, transitions and other effects can be added to the video
- AI tools: with a paid version, artificial intelligence tools can be used to automatically remove backgrounds without green screen, enhance video quality and more.
Once you finish a video, you can export and save it on your device or upload it directly to TikTok, Instagram or YouTube.
You can create videos from scratch or use templates that let you drop your clips into pre-designed videos. It lets users exercise their creativity, which means teens can use their screen time to learn a new skill instead of passively scrolling.
CapCut parental controls
Despite allowing 13-year-olds to use the app, CapCut does not have any in-built parental controls.
Parents can set controls directly on their child’s device using the device’s in-built settings, allowing them to manage how long their child can spend on the app to avoid too much screen time. However, there is no way to control what the child can access or do on the app itself.
Benefits of CapCut
- Accessible for beginners
- Develops video editing skills
- Allows kids to be creative
- Free version available
- Active screen time
What to watch out for
Overall, CapCut is a good tool for teens looking to build content creation skills. However, if your teen wants to use CapCut to learn video editing and begin making their own content, there are some risks to know about.
Inappropriate content
Users on CapCut can share their own visuals, audio clips and video templates with other users. This content can sometimes include mature themes, such as violence, inappropriate language or sexual material.
The app only lets approved creators share their content publicly. This means the likelihood of seeing inappropriate content is reduced, but some mature material can still slip through for a young person to see.
If your child does come across this content, it’s important to talk with them about what they saw and why it is inappropriate.
Contact with strangers
CapCut is not a social media platform, and it does not allow private messaging between users. However, strangers could still contact children through the public comment sections on each video template or design.
If a stranger convinces a child to move the conversation over to another app with a private messaging feature, there’s increased risk to the child. These comments might look like sharing usernames to platforms and asking for the child to add them.
Use our critical thinking guide to empower your child to make smarter decisions online and recognise those seeking to do harm.
Privacy & data security
ByteDance, the developer of CapCut and TikTok, has received criticism for its handling of user data. Critics have accused ByteDance of harvesting far more data than other similar apps, and it is not always clear what they use this data for. Some claim they share the data with the Chinese government for surveillance reasons.
Talk to your child about what data they can share online to help protect their privacy.
It is also important to avoid oversharing when creating videos using CapCut. Your child should avoid including anything in a video that could give away personal information like their location or school name.
To prevent this, talk to your child regularly about how to create content safely and securely before they use CapCut.