Parenting a teen in the digital age can be daunting. After all, most of us grew up without cell phones or social media (I, personally, am old enough to remember the thrill of getting dial-up internet in middle school), so that means we’re the first generation to have to monitor our kids’ online lives without role models for reference. We’re exploring uncharted territory, finding the balance between starting to allow our teens access to the same apps we scroll daily (like TikTok) while also wanting fiercely to protect their privacy and teach them about staying safe online.
While the average age of TikTok users in the US is over 30, the company recognizes that special safeguards are required to protect teens. Lucky for us, they offer a comprehensive set of tools to help parents tackle this issue effectively — starting with their accessible and thoughtful Guardian’s Guide.
There’s no better time to start the dialogue about digital safety than right now, since back-to-school season can be a social — not to mention social media — minefield. Keep scrolling to learn about the four key TikTok tools that will help your teens enjoy the creativity and fun of the app while also ensuring their experience is safe and age-appropriate.
Default Teen Settings For Ages 13+
First things first, your child must be 13 or older to access the full TikTok experience, so if your teen sets up the account on their own, make sure they enter their real birth year. TikTok’s proactive protections for teen account holders include daily screen time limits, disabled DMs (there’s not even an option for your child to turn on DMs if they are under 16 — hallelujah!), and default settings that keep their profiles locked on private.
Anyone under 16 who creates video content on TikTok is not eligible to have their videos recommended on the “For You” feed. And the absolute best part of this suite of features? The settings automatically turn on when a teen account is created, so you don’t have to lift a finger to activate the safeguards.
Keyword Filters To Protect Their Feeds
The “For You” feed is a core part of the TikTok experience. The recommendation system decides which videos to show you based on a combination of factors, including videos you like or share, accounts you follow, comments you post, and content you create.
When a teen sets up an account, any TikTok video (ads included) with overly mature themes or language will be filtered out — you can find a list of the type of restricted content on TikTok’s Community Guidelines. Parents can also create custom filters to make sure their teen is seeing only what you (or they!) want to see. For example, a teen struggling with self esteem may benefit from seeing fewer beauty tutorials, or a newly-minted vegan might want to avoid recipe videos involving meat. Simply enter the keywords or hashtags your teen doesn’t want to have pop up in their FYF, and TikTok will take care of it. Sigh. If only we had this feature IRL…
Complete Comment Privacy (No Trolls Allowed)
For teens under 16, TikTok automatically restricts commenting to Friends Only, meaning that only followers approved by your teen can comment on any videos they share or create. This protects teens from one of the most notorious online stranger dangers: the internet troll. Teen account holders can also change their comment privacy to No One, if they’d prefer not to allow comments of any kind.
It’s worth reviewing TikTok’s Community Guidelines with your teen before they dive into any creating or scrolling, so you both understand the app’s policies on content moderation, safety, and civility.
Family Pairing To Link Your Accounts
TikTok’s Family Pairing tool is a great option for teens who may need more support as they find their sea legs in the social media world. This feature lets parents link their own TikTok account with their teen’s, effectively giving you managerial access to their account settings. Parents can set daily screen time limits for teens’ TikTok use, create content filters, control the privacy settings on their comments, and more.
Of course, since teens crave independence and are famous for hating hovering, it’s critical to have an open dialogue about whether or not you or another parent will be monitoring their account directly.
