Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
TikTok Plans to Set Default Time Limits for Users Under 18
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
March 1, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

TikTok said Wednesday that every account held by a user under the age of 18 will have a default 60-minute daily screen time limit in the coming weeks. The changes arrive during a period in which there are growing concerns among different governments about the app’s security.

Families have struggled with limiting the amount of time their children spend on the Chinese-owned video sharing app.

Cormac Keenan, head of trust and safety at TikTok said in a blog post Wednesday that when the 60-minute limit is reached, minors will be prompted to enter a passcode receive a passcode and make an “active decision” to keep watching. For accounts where the user is under the age of 13, a parent or guardian will have to set or enter an existing passcode to allow 30 minutes of extra viewing time once the initial 60-minute limit is reached.

TikTok said it came up with the 60-minute threshold by consulting academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital.

There have long been concerns about what minors are exposed to on social media and the potential harm it might do. A report released late last year suggested that TikTok’s algorithms are promoting videos about self-harm and eating disorders to vulnerable teens.

Social media algorithms work by identifying topics and content of interest to a user, who is then sent more of the same as a way to maximize their time on the site. But social media critics say the same algorithms that promote content about a particular sports team, hobby or dance craze can send users down a rabbit hole of harmful content.

Opt Out Available

TikTok also said Wednesday that it will also begin prompting teens to set a daily screen time limit if they opt out of the 60-minute default. The company will send weekly inbox notifications to teen accounts with a screen time recap.

Some of TikTok’s existing safety features for teen accounts include having accounts set to private by default for those between the ages of 13 and 15 and providing direct messaging availability only to those accounts where the user is 16 or older.

TikTok announced a number of changes for all users, including the ability to set customized screen time limits for each day of the week and allowing users to set a schedule to mute notifications. The company is also launching a sleep reminder to help people plan when they want to be offline at night. For the sleep feature, users will be able to set a time and when the time arrives, a pop-up will remind the user that it’s time to log off.

Outside of exorbitant use by some minors, there are growing concern about the app around the world. The European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council have banned TikTok from being installed on official devices.

That follows similar actions taken by the U.S. federal government, Congress and more than half of the 50 U.S. states. Canada has also banned it from government devices.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Substitute Teacher Arrested in Online Child Exploitation Case

DON'T MISS

Investors Buy Fig Garden Village. How Much Did It Sell For?

DON'T MISS

Fresno County DA Wants Teens Tried as Adults in Caleb Quick Murder

DON'T MISS

State Farm Wins First-Ever Emergency Rate Hike in California

DON'T MISS

Work Permits Reinstated for UC Merced International Students, Anxiety Persists

DON'T MISS

Tatum to Miss Remainder of Playoffs After Achilles Tendon Surgery

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Shooting Suspect

DON'T MISS

MLB Reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, Making Them Hall of Fame Eligible

DON'T MISS

Karbassi Running for Fresno County Elections Clerk, Says He Can ‘Do Better’

DON'T MISS

Global Eggs Completes Acquisition in US, Closes New Deal in Europe

UP NEXT

Global Eggs Completes Acquisition in US, Closes New Deal in Europe

UP NEXT

UnitedHealth Group CEO Steps Down as Company Lowers, Then Withdraws Financial Outlook for 2025

UP NEXT

Cassie Testifies in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sex Trafficking Trial. What to Know About the Star Witness

UP NEXT

Young People Drive Fresno to CA’s Top Job Growth: Wells Fargo Study

UP NEXT

Judge Rejects Claim That Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Was Treated Differently Because of His Race

UP NEXT

Rapper Tory Lanez Attacked at a California Prison as He Serves Time for Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

UP NEXT

Fresno’s New Economic Development Leader Has Boomtown Expertise

UP NEXT

US Car Prices Higher in April After Tariffs Hit

UP NEXT

The TikTok Effect: Viral Videos Create the Next Travel Hotspots

UP NEXT

‘The Studio’ Knows the Real Reason Movies Are Bad

State Farm Wins First-Ever Emergency Rate Hike in California

14 hours ago

Work Permits Reinstated for UC Merced International Students, Anxiety Persists

15 hours ago

Tatum to Miss Remainder of Playoffs After Achilles Tendon Surgery

15 hours ago

Fresno Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Shooting Suspect

15 hours ago

MLB Reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, Making Them Hall of Fame Eligible

15 hours ago

Karbassi Running for Fresno County Elections Clerk, Says He Can ‘Do Better’

16 hours ago

Global Eggs Completes Acquisition in US, Closes New Deal in Europe

18 hours ago

‘I Never Said He Called My Son the N-Word.’ Fresno Unified Trustee Thomas Tries to Erase Accusation Against Former Bullard Coach

19 hours ago

UnitedHealth Group CEO Steps Down as Company Lowers, Then Withdraws Financial Outlook for 2025

19 hours ago

FDA and RFK Jr. Aim to Remove Ingestible Fluoride Products Used to Protect Kids’ Teeth

19 hours ago

Fresno Unified Substitute Teacher Arrested in Online Child Exploitation Case

A 43-year-old Fresno man identified as a certified substitute teacher with the Fresno Unified School District has been arrested for allegedl...

11 hours ago

https://www.communitymedical.org/thecause?utm_source=Misfit+Digital&utm_medium=GVWire+Banner+Ads&utm_campaign=Branding+2025&utm_content=thecause
Carlos Gonzalez, 43, of Fresno, a substitute teacher at Fresno Unified School District has been arrested for allegedly attempting to meet a minor for sex after contacting the child through a messaging app, prompting authorities to urge potential victims to come forward. (Fresno County SO)
11 hours ago

Fresno Unified Substitute Teacher Arrested in Online Child Exploitation Case

13 hours ago

Investors Buy Fig Garden Village. How Much Did It Sell For?

Fresno clovis caleb quick
14 hours ago

Fresno County DA Wants Teens Tried as Adults in Caleb Quick Murder

14 hours ago

State Farm Wins First-Ever Emergency Rate Hike in California

15 hours ago

Work Permits Reinstated for UC Merced International Students, Anxiety Persists

15 hours ago

Tatum to Miss Remainder of Playoffs After Achilles Tendon Surgery

Fresno police are seeking help identifying a suspect caught on video after a shooting near First Street and Belmont Avenue left one person injured on Sunday. May 11, 2025. (Fresno PD)
15 hours ago

Fresno Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Shooting Suspect

15 hours ago

MLB Reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, Making Them Hall of Fame Eligible

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend