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If you have a smartphone-wielding grade-schooler, no doubt you’re up to your eyeballs in TikTok songs, dances, and memes, so we’ll skip the explanation of what TikTok is and how it works. Here are a few tools and safety tips that will give you peace of mind when your child is using TikTok.
Age Limit
TikTok is limited by the terms of service to those 13 and older. Of course, many kids circumvent that rule, with or without their parent’s help. Note that many TikTok features are age limited.
Family Pairing
If your child is on TikTok, Family Pairing is one of the best tools at your disposal. Essentially, it lets you link your TikTok account to your child’s and allows you to turn on all kinds of safety features. The following safety features are all more easily accessible via Family Pairing, but you can activate some of them using profile settings.
Restricted Mode
Restricted Mode filters videos with mature themes (for example, racy music videos). You can turn it on from the profile section of the TikTok app. On the web, Restricted Mode is active by default.
Filter Keywords
You can also add keywords to be filtered from your child’s feed. Note that these don’t have to be mature or racy; you can add whatever you want. For example, if you’re tired of hearing your child sing “Skibidi Toilet,” you can add that as a keyword to be filtered.
Something to note: TikTok users can be savvy when it comes to defeating keyword blocks. For example, TikTok (and many social media sites) filter the word “suicide,” so TikTok users will say “unalive” or “su1cide.”
Daily Screen Time
With Family Pairing, you can decide how long your child can use TikTok, apply it to all devices, and set a passcode. Oh, and you can get a little report about their screen time on the Screen Time Dashboard.
Mute Push Notifications
Push notifications are muted by default, but it’s worth going over them. You can mute them at scheduled times or control them from your account.
Linked Account Activity
Is your child trying to unlink your accounts? You can get notified of that change.
Limit Search
TikTok lets you search hashtags, live videos, and other videos. You can disable any of these in Settings.
Discoverability
You can decide if your child’s TikTok should be public or private. Private is no doubt the best option. If the account is private, your child can approve who can follow their account, view their content, and comment on their videos. You can also decide if your child’s TikTok account can be recommended to others.
Monitor Direct Messages
By default, direct messaging is turned off for account holders younger than 16. But you can still monitor any direct messages.
Final Thoughts
Many of these features are best controlled using Family Pairing, which requires that you also have a TikTok account. You may not want to register one, but it’ll make monitoring your child’s TikTok activity easier.
