TikTok's Family Pairing Feature: Enhancing Safety and Control for Parents and Teens

TikTok has introduced the Family Pairing feature to provide parents with more control and tools to customize their teens' TikTok experience. With Family Pairing, parents can guide their teen's browsing experience by setting limits on search, screen time, and restricted mode. The feature also includes controls for comments, discoverability, and liked videos.

TikTok has implemented safety measures in messaging, such as automatic disabling of direct messaging for users under 16, allowing only approved followers to message each other, and prohibiting the sending of images and videos through messages. Parents can also restrict who can send direct messages to their teen or disable direct messaging completely.

In addition to Family Pairing, TikTok has a separate TikTok for Younger Users specifically designed for children under the age of 13. This view-only experience provides curated content, additional safety measures, and privacy protections. Users in this ecosystem can enjoy fun, creative, and educational videos but are restricted from posting videos, commenting on others' videos, messaging with others, or maintaining a profile or followers.

TikTok continuously enhances its policies to ensure the safety and well-being of its users. The platform has recently added guidelines and resources to promote body positivity and actively removes harmful content like hateful ideologies. TikTok has also established global partnerships to combat child exploitation, working closely with organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and law enforcement.

For families seeking more information on online safety, TikTok has created various resources, including the Youth Portal, Parents page, educational safety videos, and more. The platform is committed to the safety of its community, especially youth, and will continue to develop resources, tools, and policies to ensure the highest level of safety.