Even before the pandemic, TikTok has already become controversial for many reasons. Late last year, it was involved in an inquiry whether data being saved on the app are being stored securely in the United States. It was soon banned in India and is now officially banned from U.S. Navy and U.S. Army government-issued devices. TikTok’s “insecure HTTP” makes it vulnerable to hijacking accounts. It’s also been found to be tracking user data using a banned trick. A few months ago, TikTok officially sued the U.S government over imminent ban.
TikTok then received a reprieve with new deal with Oracle and Walmart. Just the other day, it received a 15-day extension to finalize deals with the said companies.
TikTok seems to be serious with proving it is safe and secure. Yesterday, it announced it is supporting youth and families. Parents will soon have peace of mind as parental controls are being added. Meanwhile, teenagers are still given freedom for creativity and self-expressions.
TikTok has introduced Family Pairing. This allows parents or guardians to link their account to a teen’s account. This enables different content and privacy settings. More tools are being added to improve experience for both sides.
Parents can guide their children’s TikTok experience with these new controls: Search, Screen Time Management, and Restricted Mode. A parent can set if a teen can search for users, sounds, hashtags, or content. You can set how long your child can use TikTok. You can also limited the content your teen can view.
The Family Pairing feature also now includes Comments, Discoverability, Liked Videos, and Direct Messages. Set who can comment in your child’s content and set whether account is private or public. You can also restrict who can send messages to your teen’s account. Better yet, just turn off the direct messaging feature.
TikTok has also added more resources and guidelines as support for body positivity. Hateful ideologies are being removed. Protecting minors is a priority. TikTok has teamed up with several partners around the globe to fight against child exploitation. Now let’s hope the whole TikTok community will be cooperative.
