- Outcomes
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- help parents and carers to gain an understanding of TikTok’s uses
- provide guidance on how to set up parental controls using TikTok’s family pairing
- Service Description
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What is TikTok?
TikTok is a popular social media app where users can:
- create, watch, share and interact with short videos
- message one another
- livestream
It has an age rating of 13 and over.
Examples of videos include:
- dancing
- lip-syncing
- comedy
- news
The app is free to download on Android and Apple devices.
The risks of TikTok
The majority of users using TikTok are over the age of 18. Therefore, young people using the app may be exposed to harmful or upsetting content. For example, violence and explicit material. They may also be contacted by people they don’t know, who want to connect with them.
TikTok can be addictive for some young people due to its constant stream of videos to scroll through. Other potential risks young people could face on the app include:
- scams
- coercion
- dangerous challenges and trends to try
- fake news
- cyberbullying
The majority of social media apps will carry an element of risk due to their nature. It is important to discuss with your young person:
- the potential dangers
- how they may deal with them so they are prepared
Here are some of our tips:
- discuss your household rules and expectations of how your young person will behave online. For example:
- being kind to other users
- not posting abusive comments
- set limits on screentime and try to keep tech outside of bedrooms. Charge mobiles downstairs. This is safer in terms of minimising fire risk in the home. It also ensures your young person has no distractions when it is time to sleep
- talk to your young person about fake news so they understand that not everything they hear and see online is factual. Teach them to fact check using reliable sources and, or talking to you. This will help them decipher what is factual and what is not
- trends on TikTok often involve people doing dances and challenges. However, dangerous trends can sometimes circulate. This could result in:
- illness and injuries
- hospitalisation
- in some cases, death
It is therefore important that you talk to your young person about these dangers. This includes the pressure they may feel to get invovled. For more information, see how to prevent harm from online challenges (Internet Matters)
- set up privacy features and make use of the family pairing parental controls. These will help minimise the risks for your young person
TikTok family pairing (parental controls)
Family pairing allows parents and carers to set up controls to safeguard young people when using TikTok. A parent or carer account is needed to access these features. Visit YouTube to see a video explanation about what family pairing is and how to set it up.
Family pairing allows parents and carers to:
- view screentime and set daily screentime limits
- limit the type of content young people see by:
- enabling restricted mode
- filtering videos using keywords
- limit who can message their teen
- manage privacy and safety settings
- choose whether their teen can have a private account
- decide who can:
- send their teen direct messages
- watch their liked videos
- comment on their videos
To use family pairing, your child will need to link to your account. This is explained step-by-step via the YouTube link above.
Further information around TikTok risks and parental protection.