Teens who join TikTok will be limited to one hour of usage each day, the social media company announced, but only for as long as it takes them to figure out they can manually change settings.
New default screen time restrictions will be enabled for every account known to belong to someone under the age of 18, the company says. After the first hour of use each day, the app will alert them that the time is up, “to make it easier to sign out.”
But parents praying for an intervention, or young people struggling with their own compulsive behavior, may find the relief short-lived, as the restriction can be modified or removed entirely in the app’s settings. If the user removes the limit and then uses the app for more than 100 minutes a day, they’ll be prompted to set a new restriction, which TikTok says will at least require them to make an active decision about their continued use.
Parents who want restrictions that cannot be overridden can make use of the app’s “family pairing” features, allowing them to link their own TikTok account to their child’s. These have been updated to allow for a more stringent restriction. With a family pairing account, parents can set a custom screen time limit for their children that cannot be overridden. They can also set a custom schedule to mute notifications, making sure their kids aren’t disturbed late at night.
“While there is no collectively supported position on how much screen time is ‘too much,’ or even the impact of screen time more generally, we recognize that teens often require additional support as they begin to explore the online world more independent,” said Cormac Keenan. , responsible for trust and security of the company. “Research also shows that being more aware of how we spend our time can help us be more intentional about the decisions we make, and this is especially important but generally more difficult for younger audiences.”
Social networks have a strong motivation to offer their own screen time controls, should people decide to activate the stricter controls built into the iOS and Android smartphone platforms.
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New requirements introduced in 2021 require tech companies to be more aware of how children use their services. On Wednesday, the first formal complaint was filed against a major tech company under these rules, with a father of three alleging that YouTube was improperly collecting data from children under 13.
