TikTok Enforces New Screen Time Limit for Under-18 to Promote Responsible Usage

TikTok screen-time TikTok enforces new screen time limit new feature TikTok screen time limit

By E.Baloyo , Parent Herald Mar 02, 05:51 pm

Photo: (Photo : Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

TikTok is introducing a new feature that limits the screen time of users under 18.

There have been growing concerns among parents, medical professionals, and researchers about the excessive screen time young children have on TikTok.

This new feature can help teens and parents limit screen time and harmful exposure to the app.

This upgraded feature also comes after numerous governments from different countries banned the app on their government-owned devices.

TikTok enforces new screen time limit

According to The Washington Post, TikTok announced it would implement a default daily screen time limit of 60 minutes for users under 18.

This new measure will be rolled out in the coming weeks, with affected users receiving their new time limit passcode on their app screen as the changes take effect.

Under the new policy, users who hit the 60-minute daily limit must enter a passcode to continue using the app for that day. However, they will have the option to opt out of the new measure.

TikTok requires all its users to be at least 13 years old, and those under 18 will receive a weekly notification of their screen time recap.

In addition, users who opt out of the 60-minute restriction but still use the app for 100 minutes a day will receive a prompt from TikTok to set their own screen time controls.

Aside from that, TikTok has announced the addition of three new features to its parental control. According to Variety, these features include TikTok's Family Pairing feature, which allows caregivers to customize daily screen-time limits for teens with the ability to choose different time limits for different days of the week.

A new screen-time dashboard will provide summaries of time spent on the app, the number of times opened, and a breakdown of the total time spent during the day and night. In addition, parents can now schedule the muting of their teenagers' notifications.

TikTok has stated that users aged 13 to 15 do not receive push notifications from 9 P.M. onwards, while accounts for users aged 16 to 17 have push notifications disabled from 10 P.M.

ByteDance on TikTok's new improvement

The latest update to TikTok's screen time limit for users under 18 also reflects China's rules on gaming for minors.

ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, was formerly based in China, where in 2021, authorities introduced regulations to limit minors to only one hour of online gaming per day and only on Fridays, weekends, and public holidays as a way to curb internet addiction.

As per the Pew Research Center, around two-thirds of American teens use TikTok. However, concerns have long been raised about the potential harm minors might be exposed to on social media platforms like TikTok and other apps.

A report released last year suggested that TikTok's algorithms promoted content about eating disorders and self-harm to vulnerable teens.

To address these concerns, TikTok has collaborated with researchers to develop its new feature on screen time limits.

As reported by the BBC, Cormac Keenan, head of trust and safety at TikTok, explained that there is no collective agreement on the "right" amount of screen time or the impact of screen time.

However, they have consulted with academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital to set the new screen time limit feature.