A true social phenomenon, TikTok has gradually established itself as the number one social network for children and adolescents thanks to its short videos that scroll infinitely. A success that, however, is not without its dangers for these young people who are exposed to certain risks inherent to the Chinese platform, such as viewing inappropriate content, addiction to the social network, contacts with malicious strangers or even cyberbullying.
Given this, “the parents we meet tell us that they sometimes feel overwhelmed by the speed at which things happen on TikTok,” says Thomas Rohmer, director and founder of the Observatory for Parenting and Digital Education (OPEN). at Tech&Co. However, a few simple recommendations, associated with the control tools available within the application itself, make it possible to better supervise the activity of the little ones on the platform to limit inconvenience as much as possible.
• Do not give access to TikTok before the age of 13
“Parents must be reminded that children should not be on social networks, TikTok or others, before the age of 13,” emphasizes Thomas Rohmer, while it is not uncommon to see the presence of younger youth on the platform. . However, signing up for TikTok is, in theory, prohibited for them.
But, “Kids often cheat their age to get access when it’s important for them not to because TikTok automatically adjusts a user’s privacy settings based on their date of birth. This automatically blocks access to content that doesn’t is intended for your age category and limits the risk of you coming across an unsuitable video,” says Thomas Rohmer.
To ensure that this limit is respected, it is best to activate parental controls within the application stores themselves (App Store for iOS or Play Store for Android) to prevent the child from downloading TikTok without permission.
• Change the account to “private” mode
“From the moment you change a TikTok account to private mode, the user can choose the people who follow him and who can access and comment on the content he publishes,” says Thomas Rohmer.
A great way to prevent your child from contacting strangers. In addition, users between the ages of 13 and 15 have private accounts by default and cannot send or receive direct messages.
• Ensure a reasonable period of use
The fun and heady aspect of TikTok videos, with accompanying music and choreography, is highly addictive for young audiences. “Parents find that the videos produced on TikTok are short and that it is possible to spend a lot of time watching them. We don’t see hours go by on this app,” says Thomas Rohmer.
In this context, it is very important to limit the time the child spends on the platform. Precisely, there is a function provided for this purpose in TikTok that is in the “Settings and privacy” section.
Once here, go to the “Screen Time” tab and choose the duration that suits you best: 40 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes or even 120 minutes.
Once activated, a secret code, which only parents are aware of, must be entered to deactivate the functionality if necessary.
• Establish a dialogue about the content viewed
“First of all, we call on all adults to take an interest in their children’s digital practices. If they do not, they will not be able to identify the epiphenomena likely to represent a hazard. This also makes it possible to dialogue, put into words with them about what they saw on TikTok, or on the Internet in general, with the aim of clarifying situations that could be harmful”, says Thomas Rohmer. “Many resources are available on the OPEN website to provide parents with information on this topic.”
• Parents, link your account to your child’s
This option allows you, among other things, to limit the time spent in the application, block the display of certain content, or even eliminate the search bar, or make your children’s account invisible, as well as block private messages. It only requires the child’s caregivers to create a TikTok account.
To activate it, go to TikTok. Go to the “Family Connected” tab in the “Settings & Privacy” section.
Here, you will be taken directly to the home page of the family settings. You are then asked to indicate the person using the TikTok account you are setting up on: parent or teen.
A QR code will then be generated, which the child must scan from their own account, to activate the function.
Source: BFM TV
