TikTok app safety – What parents need to know
TikTok is a social media and video-sharing platform that replaced the popular Musical.ly app when it went offline in 2017. Know as Douyin in China, it gives users the ability to watch and create short clips of up to 60 seconds.
In this guide
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a free social media platform that lets you create, share and watch short clips. The app is popular for viral dances and celebrity cameos and is a creative and fun platform for teens to enjoy.
Currently, the app is available in 75 languages with over 1 billion active users (Jan 2021). Like Musical.ly before it, it is most popular with under-16s. A 2022 Ofcom report found that TikTok is the most popular social media platform for posting content.
TikTok’s minimum age requirement
13 is the minimum age according to TikTok’s Terms and Conditions. However, the Google Play Store marks it as requiring Parental Guidance. Additionally, the Apple Play Store says it’s for 12+.
There are additional age restrictions with TikTok for some features, which require users to be 16 or 18. Be sure to read the T’s and C’s along with Community Guidelines for full information.
What can you find on TikTok?
Short videos up to 60 seconds of everything from popular songs to users dancing, lip-synching, performing comedy sketches and more.
TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop is a feature available within the TikTok app. It allows businesses to sell items directly on the platform, which means it can reach a wide range of teen users.
If your teen uses this feature to purchase items:
- Make sure they stay within TikTok rather than going to another site.
- Help them check whether a seller is trustworthy by searching for reviews outside of the shop.
- Encourage them to check with you before buying to make sure items are legitimate.
- Report any content that goes against the platform’s terms and conditions.
- Set boundaries around spending in the app such as requiring your teen to talk with you before making a purchase.
How it works
Once signed up and logged in, you can either search for popular categories, creators, or known friends, or you can create the videos yourself. But many people just use the app to follow content creators.
How to create an account
Click on the ‘person’ icon and you can choose to sign up with an email, phone number, 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 it 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 recommendations for you.
What teens and parents say
Teens like that it allows them to express themselves through 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 (such as Instagram) to share it with more people.
Parents’ concerns
Seeing inappropriate content
Parents have expressed concerns about the inappropriate language of some of the videos posted which may make this less suitable for younger children.
Contact from strangers
Predators seeking to connect with children is another privacy and security risk on TikTok. Set up privacy and security settings to limit this contact.
Potential risks on TikTok
- 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.
- 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, so 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.
- Need to delete your account? Go to Me > Tap …, located on the top right corner>Tap Manage account > Delete account. Follow the instructions in the app to delete your account.
Does TikTok have safety features?
Digital Wellbeing
Like Facebook and Instagram, it has a digital wellbeing element (which is password protected) that alerts users who have been on the app for more than two hours. You can also turn on ‘restricted mode’ to filter out inappropriate content on the app.
Private account
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.
Privacy settings
TikTok users under 18 will have their accounts set to private-by-default, which means only someone who the user approves as a follower can view their videos. The change is part of a wider package of measures designed to drive higher standards of user privacy and safety.
Reporting and blocking
You can report content that doesn’t follow TikTok’s Community Guidelines within the app.
You can block followers by choosing the fan you’d like to remove and selecting ‘Block’ from the menu of options.
Be sure to update the TikTok app to ensure you are kept up to date with the latest features.
Things you can do to keep teens safe
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.
Go to their account profile page and tap on the three dots in the top right corner. Then select “Privacy and Settings”. From the options select “Privacy and Safety” options and toggle “Private Account” on / off.
Help them to think more carefully about what they post and who it may be seen by so that they protect themselves.
To make sure you know what is and isn’t accepted on the app you and your child can read through the community guidelines to help them to be informed about what they can and can’t do 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.
Enable Digital Wellbeing. You can also enable the Restricted Mode.
You can report any inappropriate, abusive Live, video, comment or anything else on the platform here.