The Growing Concern
Did you know that people, on average, spend over an hour and a half on TikTok a day! Does your child have TikTok? Do you know what TikTok is? More importantly, do you know how to protect your child on TikTok? This article will answer all those questions.
Meet the Expert
Hello. I’m Jack Hughes. Growing up in the digital age, I witnessed the internet’s dangers firsthand. I have also fallen victim to its dangers, and I’ve seen many others. But nowadays, I dedicate my time to helping parents protect their kids online. Now, I help parents protect their kids online.
Understanding TikTok
TikTok is similar to YouTube, but videos are in portrait mode and typically last around 60 seconds. Unlike YouTube, TikTok primarily feeds users videos based on their past viewing habits. For example, if you frequently watch car wash videos, TikTok will show you more car wash videos.
The Dangers of TikTok
However, TikTok has its fair share of dangers and things you want to be aware of.
1. Addictiveness
TikTok’s algorithm is incredibly effective at keeping users engaged, making it a massive time-waster. You might open the app for what feels like five minutes, only to realize that 30 minutes have passed. I once put something in the oven for 10 minutes and forgot about it because I got distracted on TikTok. I ended up leaving it in for 45 minutes instead, which completely ruined perfectly good chicken.
It’s not just the fact that TikTok is a time waster. It’s also tough to put the phone down once you’ve opened the app. If you use TikTok you’ll often find yourself saying one more video over and over again and you end up watching ten more video’s then you expected.
TikTok’s fast and addictive nature also ruins your action span. I find if I’m regularly using TikTok, I won’t be able to focus on anything for more then a few seconds. It’s gotten so bad I often get board of movies.
2. Data Collection
TikTok will also collect extensive data on your child, often without explicit permission, including:
- Every video watched and the duration.
- Every message sent.
- Country location, internet address, and device type. If given permissions, TikTok can also collect:
- Exact location.
- Phone contacts and other social network connections.
- Age and phone number.
I definitely wouldn’t want any company to know all of these things about me or my child, which is why I deleted TikTok from all my devices.
3. Inappropriate Content
Despite efforts to moderate content, TikTok is not immune to the classic social media dangers such as inappropriate and hateful content, drug references, profanity, and crude humor. Even though it’s rare, you can also find some pornographic content on TikTok. So that’s something you might want to be wary of.
How to Protect Kids on TikTok
Thankfully, TikTok has built-in parental controls:
- Set Watch Time Limits: Restrict how long your child can use the app.
- Limit Content: Filter out inappropriate content.
- Manage Privacy and Safety Settings: Control who can interact with your child.
- Account Privacy: Choose between a private or public account.
I have a detailed tutorial on setting up TikTok’s parental controls on my website. You could also use screen time or other another parental control service to monitor and control TikTok usage. If any of this is confusing or you have any questions, you can get on a call with me, and I can help you personally set up prenatal controls or answer any of your questions.
Bottom Line Is TikTok Safe for Your Kids?
Generally, TikTok is not safe for kids. However, with the proper parental controls in place and confidence in your child’s ability to handle the platform, it can be appropriate for children aged 15 or older.