TIKTOK LIMITING KIDS

Aims to curb access to 1 hour a day, among other protections

TikTok has announced a series of new features aimed at protecting younger users, including a daily screen time limit of 60 minutes for those under 18.

Teens, however, will still be able to use the app after they time out for the day.

When they hit their 60-minute limit, younger users will be required to enter a passcode, forcing them to actively choose to extend the time they spend scrolling through the app. They can disable the feature entirely, but if they do so and spend more than 100 minutes on TikTok a day, they’ll be prompted to set a new limit at the end of the week.

Preteens will also have a default 60-minute daily limit, but a parent or guardian must enter a passcode that extends their daily usage for another half hour.

TikTok announced its new features on Wednesday amid privacy concerns and increased scrutiny over the app’s safety for younger users.

The tech giant said the new time management features are part of an ongoing effort to increase parent outreach and to “play a positive role in how people express themselves,” including the teen and preteen users on the app.

According to a study published by the Pew Research Center last August, an estimated 67% of American teenagers used TikTok, with 16% of all teens saying they used it “constantly.”

The time limits were set based on academic research and recommendations given to TikTok by experts at the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“While there’s no collectively endorsed position on how much screen time is ‘too much,’ or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we recognize that teens typically require extra support as they start to explore the online world independently,” said Cormac Keenan, head of trust and safety at TikTok.

The daily screen limit is slated to roll out in the coming weeks alongside several other new features, including a weekly recap of app activity. New features are also being added to Family Pairing, TikTok’s customizable parental controls that allow caretakers to link their account to a younger user’s account.

TikTok said such prompts increased the use of its screen time management tools by 234% during the feature’s first month of testing.