Tik Tok
A guide for families with key information about ‘Tik Tok’, including the age rating, key terminology, risks and instructions for enabling parental controls and safety settings.
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TikTok is a social media video sharing app that allows users to post and share short videos, ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes. It is an incredibly popular platform, with over 1.5 billion active users worldwide, and is available on most devices, platforms and web browsers. The app offers users trending and popular content as soon as they sign up without them having to search for it and the algorithm quickly seeks to identify the kinds of content a user likes based on previous viewing preferences.
The immediacy with which users are offered new content makes it very appealing for younger users, as there’s always something new to explore and engage with. The app also encourages children and young people to create and share their own content, driven by its easy-to-use tools for content creation and the vast audience available on the platform.
Official age rating
The minimum age for TikTok users is 13 however, it does not have any rigorous age verification methods.
All accounts set up by users aged 13 to 15 will automatically default to ‘Private’. This default setting relies on users providing their correct date of birth, showing them as under 16, so it is important that parents make sure their children are using their correct date of birth to benefit from this safety feature. All other accounts default to a ‘Public’ setting.
Find out more about age ratings in our ‘parent and carer’s guide to age ratings of apps and games’.
How children and young people use the app
TikTok is a hugely popular video-based app, largely due to the variety of content it provides, from trending dances and funny moments to curated videos from young people’s favourite content creators. The platform is often used by celebrities and influencers and many people have found fame purely through the app, making it especially appealing for young people who wish to gain popularity online. It is used both as a creative outlet for young people but also as a place to engage and connect with others around the world through livestreams and comments.
With an easy-to-use design and a personalised feed based on your existing online activity and interests, it can be a very appealing app for young people to spend significant amounts of time on.
“I like TikTok because it teaches you things and keeps you up to date on what is going on. It’s hard to get bored while using it as there are lots of things to watch on there.", child, aged 14.
Key features and terminology
Potential risks
Content
The TikTok platform presents a number of content risks including the risks of being exposed to sexual and violent content, hate speech, suicide and self-harm, and misinformation. The platform is designed to serve users the kinds of content that they are interested in so unless they are actively searching for harmful content it is likely that most young TikTok users will, in the main, be offered content that is not generally harmful, and which is in line with their interests (for example fashion, dancing and comedy).
However, because the content is user generated and continually updated by users there is still the risk of exposure to adult themed or harmful content described above, for example through a video that goes viral that might feature violence or harm. There is also a risk that if a child is interested in harmful content (perhaps due to other vulnerabilities) and searches for it on TikTok there are few safeguards to prevent them finding it. TikTok is strengthening its approach to ‘covert-influence’ content which aims to deceive or mislead users. This includes labelling which indicates if an account is affiliated with a particular state media. As a parent or carer it is worth being familiar with safety features (including restricted mode) which is available on the platform and described below.
It is also worth bearing in mind that, in common with other platforms of this kind, TikTok also features many creators and influencers who could be viewed to have ‘desirable’ lives (houses/lifestyles) and appearances which can impact on how children and young people feel about themselves and their well-being. You can support your children by staying connected with what they are looking at online and helping them to interpret this content - reminding them that it is often carefully constructed and made to look perfect/carefree and often to sell products.
Whilst TikTok moderation disallows nudity, there have been recent reports of a trend known as ‘foopah’ in which creators attempt to flash their privates in a way that TikTok’s moderation tool does not detect. Parents and carers should be wary of these videos appearing on their children’s feed. It is possible that your child may receive more videos of this challenge if they react to a video, as the algorithm will recommend this type of content more. It is advised that you familiarise yourself with TikTok’s ‘Not interested’ feature to help prevent more of this content being suggested if your child encounters a video. Ensure that your child knows and understands that they can talk to you if they encounter confusing or upsetting content, such as a foopah video. Read about TikTok’s ‘Not interested’ feature in the ‘Managing interactions and content’ section of this guide.
The growth of AI-generated or edited content is also obvious on TikTok. For example, clear indicators show when content has been created on the platform using AI tools. Additionally, TikTok are making efforts to ensure that content created outside of the app and uploaded will also bear an AI mark by joining the ‘Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity’.
In theory, it means that content created on another signed-up platform will be detected and automatically labelled as AI. Users would then be able to look back at how content has been edited. It should be noted that content created on platforms outside of the coalition will not receive the mark so as a parent or carer, it is important to discuss with you child the need to be critical of what they are viewing. TikTok and others provide guidance on how to spot AI content and how to be a critical viewer.
Connecting with others
There are millions of TikTok users worldwide so it important that your child uses the settings available to manage their contacts and their privacy. TikTok have recently introduced a range of default settings to improve the safety of interactions for younger users, such as accounts for under 16s now being defaulted to private and for users under the age of 18, the ‘Suggest your account to others’ setting is switched off. This means that their account will not be suggested to other users on the platform. As explained previously, to benefit from these safeguards children need to sign up with their correct age.
Despite these safeguards being put in place by the platform, it is still important that users under 16 know how to limit their contacts in settings to those who are known friends and try to ensure that they do not change these settings without realising the consequences, for example because they want broader exposure to get more followers. If your child is using TikTok in the ‘Public’ function, speak to them about the risks of connecting with strangers. Remind your child to tell you if they have been asked personal questions, to share personal information, to chat privately or anything that has made them feel uncomfortable.
The live streaming feature of TikTok is very popular and many account holders over 16 may want to stream their own live content. Livestreaming can feel exciting and fun and in the moment, however other users may try to pressure, persuade or manipulate younger users in to doing something inappropriate which they may later regret. Have a conversation with your child to remind them to be careful about engaging with people when live streaming, and to end the session and speak to an adult if at any point they feel uncomfortable.
TikTok also provides the option for users to share directly from music sharing platforms, Spotify and Apple music. Users can share songs, artists and playlists through Direct Messaging (DM) or on their For You Page (FYP). This feature still presents the possibility that users may share playlists, or album covers with inappropriate names and presents an opportunity for users to connect on platform outside of TikTok.
User behaviour
As a platform that encourages comment and engagement TikTok users can sometime be exposed to unkind comments or reactions to the content they post and share. Features such as ‘Duet’ have a real potential to allow children and young people to make or receive unkind reaction responses. We know that the online environment generally can reduce the empathy of face-to-face interaction and expose children to a world in which reactions, likes or nasty comments can be made rapidly without those posting them seeing or reflecting on their impact.
There is a risk of children being drawn into and desensitised to bullying through exposure in this way. It is important to talk to your child about how they behave towards others online and how they react and respond to content. Encourage them to think about how a comment or post would make them feel if they were on the receiving end of it before they share it.
Design, data and costs
TikTok is a highly compelling and engaging platform and children and young people sometimes spend many hours at a time scrolling through the diverse continually changing range of content. The platform is designed to keep users engaged and interested and children and young people often do not have the skills to successfully self-regulate and take time and space away from the platform. To help young people manage their time on the platform, TikTok has introduced a feature that will stop users under 16 from receiving push notifications after 9pm and those under 18 from 10pm.
TikTok has additionally set a 60-minute daily time limit for users aged under 18. If a user wishes to continue using TikTok past the 60-minute restriction, they will need to input a time limit passcode that they have set on their device. If your child is a is spending a lot of time on TikTok consider agreeing time limits and boundaries that allow them to balance their enjoyment of the platform with other activities.
You may wish to use the ‘Digital wellbeing’ feature in the settings which enables users to limit screen time. To learn about using the ‘Digital wellbeing’ feature to set a time limit on TikTok, see the ‘Managing time and purchases’ section of this guide.
The introduction of TikTok shop has further monetised the platform, allowing influencers and creators to actively sell the products they feature in their videos. Some young people may be influenced by the creators they follow into purchasing items, so parents and carers should check the app is not linked to their bank card or financial details.
Speak to your child about in-app purchases and ensure they understand that real money is used to make purchases within the app. Most smart devices and computers allow users to set up in-app purchasing settings within their main settings menu.
Tips for keeping your child safe
Additional tips
TikTok has a designated ‘guardians guide’ which is worth exploring to find out more about the app and their recommendations for parents. Here, parents and carers will find detailed information and videos about the platform including understanding privacy settings, community guidelines, TikTok basics and a detailed guide to ‘Family pairing’.
Along with the Guardians Guide, TikTok have produced their 'digital safety partnership for families'. This is a document that can be downloaded and printed out and includes tips for staying safe but also creates an opportunity for parents/career to start a conversation with their child about safe online use, trust and other features of safe online use.
TikTok have also updated their 'teen safety centre' to include easily accessible tips and information on a range of topics including setting up an account, privacy settings and others. A full overview of these settings can be found in the privacy guide.