Tiktok is a hugely popular video sharing app, with over 1 billion users worldwide, each month. A recent report by Ofcom highlighted that over half of 13-17-year-olds are using TikTok daily.
Although it is actually advised to only be used by children aged 13 and over, many underage users also use the app.
So, here are a selection of our top tips for keeping your child safe, if you allow them to use TikTok.
- Set time limits. It can be easy to spend hours scrolling through videos, however too much screen time can be damaging for any user.
- Keep their account private. By setting their account to private, only people they accept to follow them can view their videos and interact with them. This limits interactions with strangers.
- Only interact with people they know. Similar to the above, encourage them to only accept follow requests and message with people they actually know in real life. However, there may be some celebrity accounts that you allow them to follow and interact with.
- Manage comments. Disabling comments altogether can be a useful way to minimise any risk of online bullying. By doing this, people cannot share unwanted comments on their videos.
- Scroll together and set up restricted mode. Unfortunately, the ‘For You Page’ is randomised. After a while, the algorithm will pick up on videos they have liked and interacted with, and show more of the same. However, the videos are not age restricted in any way. Enabling restricted mode prevents more ‘adult’ themed videos appearing.
- Communicate. Talk about what they are doing on the app and any videos they have scrolled across that might have stirred up emotions. Keep an eye on their account activity and followers.
