TikTok is currently one of the most popular social media apps because the app focuses on one kind of content, short-form videos. Creative and relatable short-form videos engage users across different types of social media sites. TikTok has a leg up over the competition because that is solely what it focuses on. With its relatable content, easy-to-use interface, and large community, many people are spending more time creating and viewing content on TikTok. Plus, they introduced a feature called TikTok Family Pairing to help keep children safer while using the app. The main goal of Family Pairing is to allow parents to customize the safety settings on their teen’s account. With TikTok Family Pairing, the parent links their TikTok account to their teen’s account to set parental controls that help keep their child safe.
TikTok requires that users be at least 13 years or older to use the app. At this age, your children probably have learned from you some ways to stay safe on the internet but could still use some guidance from time-to-time. With Family Pairing, you can keep an eye on your children and help keep them safe by setting controls for screen time management, restricted mode, and direct messages.
Screen Time Management
It’s important that teenagers are aware of how long they are spending on social media sites every day. With TikTok, it can be easy to get distracted and lose track of time because of how much content is posted every single day. TikTok is also known for its highly relatable and easily digestible content because its algorithm shows you videos that are specific to your interests. The more often you like and interact with videos, the more TikTok’s algorithm learns about you. TikTok will then show you videos it thinks you’ll like and display them to you on your FYP (for you page). The more time you spend on the app, the smarter your FYP gets, which then leads to more time spent watching the content you enjoy.
To help limit your children’s screen time, TikTok allows parents to set screen time limits through Family Pairing. This feature is great because it gives your child freedom to view the content they like, but it helps teach them time management skills and can help curb procrastination when it comes to school and work. Along with this parental control, TikTok has also partnered with many top creators to create short videos that encourage users to beware of how long they have spent on the app. These videos serve as fun, upbeat reminders for users to get off their phone and do something productive like reading a book or cleaning their room.
Restricted Mode
This parental control is easy to use and is an important step to keep your children safe online. By turning this on, TikTok will attempt to limit content that it deems unsuitable for all ages. With restricted mode, parents can set a password to turn this control on and off. Therefore, your children can’t turn it off themselves.
How to enable Restricted Mode:
- Select “Digital Wellbeing” under the app settings
- Tap “Turn On”
- Set a passcode
- Toggle “Restricted Mode”
Restricted mode is great because it helps protect your children with one easy step. However, some videos may fall through the cracks and a video you may deem as inappropriate could pop up. In these instances, you can report the content to remove it from your feed.
To report an inappropriate video:
- Tap the arrow in the bottom right corner of the video
- Tap “Report”
- Choose a “Reason” from the list. This includes “Violence or Harm”, “Self-injury”, “Harassment and Bullying”, etc.
Direct Messages
With TikTok Family Pairing, parents can restrict who is sending direct messages to their children. Currently, TikTok only allows approved followers to message each other which is a great step towards limiting spam and unwanted messages. However, with TikTok Family Pairing you can take this one step further and turn off direct messaging completely if that is what you prefer. Depending on your child’s age, this setting may already be enabled. TikTok automatically disables direct messages for registered accounts under the age of 16. Many policies and procedures are directed at keeping your child safe when direct messaging, and with Family Pairing you can be more hands on when it comes to your child.
TikTok is a great way to stay connected and entertained, but just like every other social media app, it’s important to make sure your children are using the app appropriately. With TikTok Family Pairing, it’s simple to keep an eye on your children’s internet activity and keep them safe. Download TikTok on iOS or Android today.
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