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

California Democrats Restore Penalties in Teen Sex Trafficking Bill After Backlash

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Activity Shuts Down Stretch of Blackstone Avenue

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Authorities Seeks Suspects in Armed Carjacking

DON'T MISS

Trump Tariffs, Rising Health Care Costs Knock CA Budget Back Into Deficit

DON'T MISS

Waymo Recalls 1,200 Self-Driving Vehicles After Minor Collisions

DON'T MISS

How Ancient Reptile Footprints Are Rewriting the History of When Animals Evolved to Live on Land

DON'T MISS

Cassie Details Her Hotel Hallway Beating by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ at His Trial

DON'T MISS

Pope Meets Sinner: World No. 1 Gives Tennis Fan Pope Leo XIV Racket

DON'T MISS

Ford to Recall More Than 273,000 Vehicles

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Middle East Visit Comes as His Family Deepens Its Business, Crypto Ties in the Region

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Rescinds Curbs on AI Chip Exports to Foreign Markets

UP NEXT

Qatar Signs $200 Billion Deal to Buy Jets From Boeing During Trump Visit

UP NEXT

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

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

Trump Tariffs, Rising Health Care Costs Knock CA Budget Back Into Deficit

38 minutes ago

Waymo Recalls 1,200 Self-Driving Vehicles After Minor Collisions

54 minutes ago

How Ancient Reptile Footprints Are Rewriting the History of When Animals Evolved to Live on Land

1 hour ago

Cassie Details Her Hotel Hallway Beating by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ at His Trial

1 hour ago

Pope Meets Sinner: World No. 1 Gives Tennis Fan Pope Leo XIV Racket

1 hour ago

Ford to Recall More Than 273,000 Vehicles

1 hour ago

Trump’s Middle East Visit Comes as His Family Deepens Its Business, Crypto Ties in the Region

1 hour ago

Pacers Eliminate Top-Seeded Cavaliers, Advance to the Eastern Conference Finals

1 hour ago

Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza Kill 70 People, Including 22 Children, Health Officials Say

1 hour ago

The Menendez Brothers Had Their Sentences Reduced. What’s Next?

2 hours ago

California Democrats Restore Penalties in Teen Sex Trafficking Bill After Backlash

California’s Democratic leadership has once again executed a dramatic policy reversal following intense public backlash, this time on ...

11 minutes ago

11 minutes ago

California Democrats Restore Penalties in Teen Sex Trafficking Bill After Backlash

Photo of a Fresno Police car
21 minutes ago

Fresno Police Activity Shuts Down Stretch of Blackstone Avenue

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office is looking for suspects in a Poplar armed carjacking on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Tulare County SO)
26 minutes ago

Tulare County Authorities Seeks Suspects in Armed Carjacking

Newsom 2024 Budget
38 minutes ago

Trump Tariffs, Rising Health Care Costs Knock CA Budget Back Into Deficit

54 minutes ago

Waymo Recalls 1,200 Self-Driving Vehicles After Minor Collisions

This image provided by Prof. Per Erik Ahlberg shows an artist's illustration of the possible appearance of a reptile-like creature that lived around 350 million years ago in what's now Australia. The animal was around 2 ½ feet long (80 cm) and its feet has long fingers and claws, which are visible in newly discovered fossil footprints. (Marcin Ambrozik/Prof. Per Erik Ahlberg via AP)
1 hour ago

How Ancient Reptile Footprints Are Rewriting the History of When Animals Evolved to Live on Land

Cassie Ventura wipes tears from her eye while testifying in Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
1 hour ago

Cassie Details Her Hotel Hallway Beating by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ at His Trial

Italy's Jannik Sinner, left, shares a light moment with Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of their meeting at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)
1 hour ago

Pope Meets Sinner: World No. 1 Gives Tennis Fan Pope Leo XIV Racket

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

Search

Send this to a friend