Guide to Teen Safety on TikTok
September 13th, 2024
TikTok Safety 101
Navigating the digital landscape can be challenging for today’s parents, especially with platforms like TikTok evolving rapidly. To support you in managing your teen's experience on TikTok, we’re highlighting several key tools that can help you make informed decisions and ensure a positive online experience for your family.
Default Teen Privacy Settings
As part of our commitment to student safety and digital well-being, we want to inform you that the main TikTok app is designed for users aged 13 and older. When your teen creates an account, several important safety features are automatically activated to ensure a secure experience.
These features include default settings such as a one-hour daily screen time limit, private accounts for users under 18, and restricted direct messaging for users under 16. These thoughtful design choices are part of TikTok’s efforts to provide a safe environment for teens on the platform.
*You can support your teen at setup to ensure they enter their correct date of birth.*
Family Pairing
What It Is:
TikTok's Family Pairing tool allows parents and guardians to connect their TikTok account with their teen's, enabling you to manage various content, privacy, and well-being settings. We encourage you to discuss these Family Pairing features with your teen and work together to tailor their TikTok experience.
We also recommend reviewing the Guardian's Guide and Privacy Policy, and talking with your teen about safety settings and controls, such as daily screen time limits and video content filters based on keywords.
How to Link Accounts:
1. Open the TikTok app and tap on the Profile icon at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu button at the top.
3. Select Settings and Privacy, then choose Family Pairing.
4. Tap Parent or Teen.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to link the accounts.
For You Feed - Keyword Filtering
Using the Keyword Filtering Tool:
TikTok's Keyword Filtering tool allows you to manage the content that appears on your teen’s For You feed by blocking specific keywords or hashtags. This feature helps ensure that videos with certain descriptions or stickers are filtered out.
Here’s How to Set it Up:
1. Go to Settings and Privacy and scroll to Content Preferences.
2. Tap on Filter Video Keywords.
3. Select Add Keyword and create your list of filters.
We encourage you to collaborate with your teen to establish suitable keyword filters for their account.
Comment Privacy Settings
Managing Comment Settings:
You have the option to control who can comment on your videos by adjusting your privacy settings. In your account settings, you can select from categories such as everyone, friends, or no one to determine who can leave comments on your videos. Additionally, you can choose to enable or disable comments for each video before posting it.
We recommend discussing these comment privacy settings with your teen to help them choose the options that best suit their preferences.
Digital Safety Partnership for Families
Introducing the Digital Safety Partnership for Families:
In collaboration with the Family Online Safety Institute, TikTok has created the Digital Safety Partnership for Families. This initiative aims to foster ongoing, meaningful discussions between families about online experiences and establish digital boundaries together.
The template agreement included in this partnership allows parents and teens to customize their discussions on key topics, such as setting guidelines for device use and reviewing app rules and safety features before use.
You can find and download the Digital Safety Partnership for Families in our Guardian’s Guide.
Contact for More Information
Crystal Binning
Parent & Family Engagement Coordinator
Ph: (903) 566-2441 ext. 1964
Email: binningc@chapelhillisd.org