TikTok to Implement a 60-Minute Daily Screen Time Limit for Children

In the coming weeks TikTok will be implementing a 60-minute daily screen time limit for children. This is being introduced to encourage young people to be more in control of their social media consumption.

Users will be prompted to enter a code to continue scrolling the app once the time limit has been hit. However, there will be an option to opt out of the new measure. Once opted out, TikTok will continue to prompt with notifications to set screen time controls when a user hits 100-minutes of daily screen time. In addition, children will get a weekly wrap up of their screen time spent in the app.

In cases where the user is under 13, a parent/guardian will have to provide a code to allow an additional 30 minutes of viewing.

An extra measure for parents using the Family Pairing feature will allow parents to set screen time limits, including scheduling different time limits for certain days. They will also be able to mute notifications during certain hours and see how much their children are using the app.

TikTok has been criticised for their content and has been advised to control and filter children's feeds from harmful content. Research carried out by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate showed a 13-year-old’s feed containing self harm and eating disorder content within a few minutes of scrolling.

Tik Tok will need to take further steps to protect children from harmful content and design the app to prevent addictive use of the technology for the upcoming generations.