TikTok app safety – What parents need to know
By Internet Matters Team on
This social network app is from the creators of Musical.ly. As Musical.ly officially went offline earlier this year, Tik Tok (known as Douyin in China) has taken its place offering the user the ability to watch musical clips, create short clips up to 60 seconds and add special effects to them.
All the content that was hosted on Musical.ly is now on TikTok. So if your child had a Musical.ly account they will now be able to access this content on Tik Tok.
About the App
What is TikTok?
It’s a social media app that gives users the opportunity to share 60 second short videos with friends, family or the entire world. Like Twitter-owned Vine and Musical.ly before it, videos shared range from funny sketches to lip-sync videos featuring special effects. Currently, the app is available in 34 languages with 150 million active users. Like Musical.ly before it, it is most popular with under 16s.
What can you find on the app?
Videos featuring comedy sketches or lip-syncs featuring the latest songs or voices over extracts from films.
What is the minimum age for TikTok app?
13 is the minimum age according to TikTok’s terms and conditions.
How does TikTok work?
When you download the app, you can instantly see the videos that others have posted on the channel but are not able to share or post anything until you have set up your own account.
How to create an account
Click on the ‘person’ icon and you can choose to sign up with an email, phone or existing Google, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account.
Once you have selected an option, you are then asked to enter your date of birth if is below the age of 13, the app displays the following message: “Sorry, looks like you’re not eligible for TikTok. But thanks for checking us out!”
Your feed highlights what is going on in your community and a separate ‘For you’ feed shows tailored recommendation for you.
There is also a digital wellbeing element which alerts users who have been on the app for more than 2 hours
Why do teens love the TikTok?
It is a way to express themselves and create short-form video clips to gain a following and build a community around their passions. It also features some great special effects that users can apply to their videos to make them more unique. You can also cross-post the content on other platforms to share it with more people.
What do other parents say about the app?
Seeing inappropriate content
Parents have expressed concern around the inappropriate language of some of the video posted which may make this less suitable for younger children.
Contact from strangers
Predators seeking to connect with children is another risk that parents have said their children.
For more insight on parent review, visit Common Sense Media.
What should parents be concerned about?
When you download the app users can see all the content without creating an account although they are not able to post, like or share anything until they’ve set up an account on the app.
You can set up your account by using your existing Google, Facebook, Instagram account, via email or phone.
By default all accounts are public so anyone on the app can see what your child shares. However, only approved followers can send them messages.
Users can like or react to a video, follow an account or send messages to each other. There is the risk that strangers will be able to directly contact children on the app.
Children may be tempted to take risks to get more of a following or likes on a video so it’s important to talk about what they share and with who.
To delete an account you have to request a code from the app using a phone number.
Does Tik Tok have any safety features?
Like Facebook and Instagram, it has a digital wellbeing element (which is password protected) which alerts users who have been on the app for more than 2 hours. You can also turn on ‘restricted mode’ to filer out inappropriate content on the app.
Also, you can set an account to be private so that all videos can only be seen by the creator and no one else on the platform. With a private account, you can approve or deny users and limit incoming messages to followers only.
Please note that even with a private account your child’s profile photo, username, and bio are still visible to all users on the platform.
You can manage who can comment, duet and direct message your child on the app
How to report inappropriate content on the TikTok app?
You can report content that doesn’t follow TikTok’s community guidelines within the app, click here to find out how to do it on the app.
You can delete followers or ‘Fans‘ by choosing the fan you’d like to remove and selecting ‘Block’ from menu of options.
7 things you can do to keep them safe on the app
1. Talk to them about Cyberbullying
Users can leave comments on videos posted so, this may leave your child open to receiving negative messages. Giving them guidance about what to do if they are cyberbullied or see others being cyberbullied will help them to keep themselves safe.
2. Set their musical.ly account to private private
Go to their account profile page and tap on the top right corner three dots. Then select “Privacy and Settings”. From the options select “Privacy and Safety” options and toggle “Private Account” on / off.
3. Make sure they are Share Aware
Help them to think more carefully about what they post and who it may be seen by so that they protect themselves.
4. Get familiar with the community guidelines
To make sure you know what is and isn’t accepted on the app you and your child can read through the guidelines to help them to be informed about what they can and can’t do on the app.
5. Be aware of explicit songs on the app
Some of the songs featured on the TikTok app may have explicit language and sexual content that may not suitable for your child. It is best to review the app together with your child beforehand.
6. Turn on Digital Wellbeing settings
To enable “Digital Wellbeing” select the three dots from the right-hand corner. From the options select “Digital Wellbeing” under the app settings. Tap “Turn on” and set a passcode and toggle “Screen Time Management”.
You can also set the “Restricted Mode’ in the same way to restrict inappropriate content on the app.
More to Explore
If you’d like to learn more about the TikTok app and other similar apps, here are some places you can visit:
TikTok app guide for parents from Smart Social
Short video service Musical.ly merging into sister app TikTok