TikTok now lets parents control what their children watch - this is how to set it up

The social media app has introduced new controls for parents (Photo: Shutterstock)The social media app has introduced new controls for parents (Photo: Shutterstock)
The social media app has introduced new controls for parents (Photo: Shutterstock)

TikTok has announced a new feature to help parents and guardians control how children interact with its features.

This is how the feature works, and how you can set it up if you’re concerned about your child’s use of the app.

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Family Safety Mode

TikTok has called the feature Family Safety Mode, and it gives parents the ability to decide what their children see on the app. The feature links two accounts together, giving the parent account more control over the teen account.

Cormac Keenan, head of trust and safety at Tik Tok, said, “When people use TikTok, we know they expect an experience that is fun, authentic, and safe.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to providing users with features and resources to have the best experience on TikTok, we are announcing Family Safety Mode, a new feature to help parents and guardians keep their teens safe on TikTok.”

How does it work?

Family Safety Mode links a child’s account with their parent’s TikTok account and, once it’s been enabled, they will be able to control the following:

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Screen time, so parents can restrict how long their children are spending on the app each dayDirect messages, so parents can limit who sends messages to the connected account, or they can turn off direct messaging completelyRestricted mode, which lets parents restrict the appearance of content that might not be suitable for younger kids

How to set it up

From the TikTok main screen, you’ll need to go to your own profile and select the privacy and settings tab.

From there, go to digital wellbeing, where you’ll be presented with three options - screen time management, restricted mode and family safety mode.

When you select family safety mode, you’ll be met with a prompt which asks who is using that account - a parent, or a teen.

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When you choose the parent option, you’ll be asked to link your account with another using the QR code provided. The other account that you’re linking to will need to have also selected Family Safety mode and chosen the teen option.

So the parent account has the QR code and the teen account will need to scan it in order to link the accounts.

After the two accounts have been linked, the parent account will then have control over the teen account. Only the parent account has the option to unlink accounts, the teen one doesn’t.

The teen account doesn’t receive any notifications if the parent account makes any changes, like turning off direct messages, or setting a lower screen time restriction.

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