TikTok

TikTok has an age rating of 13+ 

The app allows children to see content based on the age that they put into the app when they join it. If your child does use TikTok, it is important that they put in their real age because the app provides limited access for those under 13 where they can have a private account to create and watch videos.

TikTok Safety Tips

 

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social media platform that lets you create, share and discover 60 second videos. You can use music and effects to enhance your videos and you can also browse other people’s videos and interact with them.

 

 

TikTok has an age rating of 13 or over. It has this age rating due to the content that

the children would be able to see as well as the risks involved if your child were not have their account set as private. As a school, we do not recommend children to use TikTok; however, we are aware that many children in KS2 do use the app. Because of this, we would like to provide you with links and advise about how to best support your child if you have made the decision to let them use the social media platfrom. 

 

Safety features

TikTok’s Youth Portal has been designed to give young people and their parents and carers a place to learn about how to stay safe online, as well as information on TikTok’s safety tools and controls.

TikTok’s family pairing mode lets you connect your own personal TikTok account to your child’s and gives you access to features to help manage screen time and who they can contact on the app.

Parents or carers can turn on ‘restricted mode’ on the app. This feature will help stop your child from coming across content that might not be suitable for them.

Under 16s are not able to not send or receive direct messages from anyone, so it’s important that your child signs up with their correct age.

 

Family Pairing

Family Pairing (previously Family Safety Mode) lets you link your child’s TikTok account to your own so you can help manage:

1. Screen Time Management: how long your child can spend on TikTok each day.
2. Direct Messages: who can send messages to your child’s account or turn off direct messages completely.
3. Restricted Mode: restrict certain types of content that you think isn’t appropriate for your child.

These tools are handy at helping parents keep their children safe on TikTok, but we think it's best to start with a conversation about staying safe online. If you’re worried about TikTok – or even just interested – ask your child why they use it, what they like and dislike, and different ways to stay safe while on it.

A lot of parents are concerned with how long their children spend staring at their screens. But it’s not about how long they’re on their screens, it’s about what they’re doing online and who they’re talking to. That’s why it’s best to have regular conversations about how they’re using the internet and ways to stay safe.

 

Content

TikTok say that they delete all content that violates their Community Guidelines. However, this doesn’t always mean inappropriate content containing violence or other harmful themes will get deleted straight away and your child could still come across something upsetting.

 

 

 

To get a deeper understanding of this unique app, and take a look at our Parents' Ultimate Guide to TikTok to get more information on how children can use TikTok safely and responsibly.

 

Tips to help you manage your kid's TikTok experience.

 

Make sure your child uses their real age to create an account. If you're going to allow your child to join TikTok, insist that they register with their actual birth date. The app offers a limited experience for users under 13 where they can watch videos and create their own clips for private viewing, free from the data tracking the company collects on users over 13. However, access to that area of the app only requires the user to enter a birth date -- and there's nothing to prevent older users from joining as an under-13-year-old. 

The following settings are located in the Privacy and Settings section. To get there, go to your kid's profile page and click the three-dot icon ("...") on the top right.

 

Make your kid's account private. 

TikTok accounts are public by default, meaning anyone can see your videos, send you direct messages, and post comments. Help kids turn on privacy settings so only people they know can interact with their videos or message them on the app.  

• Select Privacy and Safety. There, toggle the switch for "Private Account."

Limit comments. 

TikTok comments can be inappropriate. Restrict the audience that can post comments on kids' videos to Friends only -- or turn them off entirely.

• Again, select Privacy and Safety. Review the settings, including: Who can send you direct messages; Who can comment on your videos; and Comment filters.

Limit time and inappropriate content. 

TikTok offers features to help limit kids' time on the app as well as videos that may be inappropriate. You can protect these settings with a passcode so kids can't change them back. Alternatively, you can download the TikTok app and use the Family Pairing feature to manage your kid's account from your phone.

• Select Digital Wellbeing next to the icon of an umbrella. There you'll see settings for Screen Time Management, Restricted Mode, and Family Pairing.