Today, TikTok is the latest tech company that has introduced increased protections for minors using its platform. This comes in the wake increased regulatory scrutiny. According to the company, a number of product improvements will be made for teens aged 13-17. These changes are intended to make TikTok more private, safer, and less addictive. Similar moves were made by other tech companies, such as YouTube and Google, to make TikToks more private, safer, and less addictive, according to TikToks's news.In-app messaging, public nature of videos by users, default download settings, and TikTok's use of push notifications are some of the changes TikTok will be making over the next months.This is in addition to the January changes to privacy settings for users younger than 18 years old that TikTok made. TikTok introduced stricter rules for teenagers aged 13-15 and slightly less permissive settings 16-17. These changes focused on default account types and commenting, as well as the use of TikTok's interactive features like Stitch or Duet.TikTok now says that new users 16-17 years old will have their Direct Messaging setting set to No One default. Existing users would be prompted for confirmation and asked to review their settings.However, teens will not be prohibited from using Direct Messages. They will however have to make a more explicit choice.A pop-up message will now be displayed on the app when a teen below 16 years old publishes their first video. It asks them to select who can view their content: friends, followers or only themselves. (The Everyone option has been disabled. TikTok used to limit who could see accounts of teens under 16 years old. This would make their content less visible to those they approve, if they were using the default settings. TikTok now encourages teens to choose how public their content will be. They have to make that decision in order to publish the video.TikTok also stated that Duet and Stitch will be disabled for users below 16 years old, but this is not a new statement. It was part of privacy changes made in January.Separately, 16-17-year-olds will be asked to decide whether their videos can be downloaded by other people. Although TikTok will not prevent teens from downloading their content, it will prompt them to confirm their decision and remind them that the videos can be shared on other platforms. For users aged 13-15, downloads are still disabled.Perhaps the most exciting change is that TikTok will limit push notification.Teens aged 13-15 years old won't be notified by push notifications after 9PM, and those 16-17 years old won't be notified after 10 PM. The notifications will resume at 8 AM the next morning.This update reflects TikTok's global outlook and its Chinese parent company. China is currently undergoing a tech crackdown. This includes antitrust regulations and data security practices. It also covers social mores such as the addictive nature video games. State media has compared it to opium.TikTok has also been praised as being one of the most addictive social media apps on the market. This is due to its interactive design, personalization technology and simple interface. It also uses psychological tricks that activate users' pleasure centers. Because users were spending hours scrolling through the app, the company has begun inserting take-a-break videos into its main feed. The company's decision to limit notifications is another acknowledgement of the app's ability to encourage users, especially younger ones, to develop negative digital media habits. TikTok will prevent notifications from being sent during certain hours to show regulators that it is taking action to fix the problem.These changes are coming at a time when the tech industry is undergoing a wider shift in how it caters to its younger users. Concerns about screen time addiction, online abuse, data collection and privacy, among others, have been raised.The U.S. Congress is urging companies to do more for younger users to avoid the more dangerous and harmful effects of technology.A major piece of legislation is in the making: an update to the decades old children's privacy law, COPPA. Protecting the Information of Our Vulnerable Children and Youth Act would amend COPPA to cover teens younger than 18 years old and prohibit tech companies from using targeted ads.Tech companies have revamped their products to make teenagers' experiences more private. They also increased privacy, including how advertisers use teens data.TikTok was the first to act on protecting teens after a multimillion-dollar U.S. Federal Trade Commission fine for violating children's privacy laws. This crackdown by the government agency later extended to YouTube. TikTok was also the first to offer parent controls within its app, along with the Family Pairing feature. Other resources include parental guides and educational safety videos for parents. It also brought in outside experts for advice on policy creation with the TikTok Content Advisory Council.In a statement, Tracy Elizabeth, TikTok's Global Minor Safety Policy Leader, stated that our priority is to ensure teens using TikTok have an age-appropriate and safe experience when they share and create on the platform. She said that this announcement is a continuation of our industry-leading efforts, which include making all accounts below 16 private by default, age restrictions like direct messaging, as well as empowering parents with Family Pairing.TikTok said that the features would be available globally over time but could not give us a time frame.
