If a young teenager signs up for TikTok, the account will now be more private. TikTok said today that the default settings for users aged 13 to 15 will be updated, limiting those who can view and comment on their videos. Only users who add them as friends can see their videos, and their account will not be suggested to other users.
TikTok will also completely eliminate the option to allow anyone to comment on the videos of these users, even if they make their account public. Users between 13 and 15 can only allow their friends to comment on their videos, or they can disable comments altogether.
The app’s Duet and Stitch features, which allow users to re-post and respond to another person’s video, will be disabled for videos submitted by users under 16. It’s also possible to watch videos from users under age.
For users between 16 and 17, TikTok disables the ability to download their videos by default and limits the Duet and Stitch features to just their friends.
The series of tweaks should contribute to a TikTok that is more protective of its youngest users. Those users can still use TikTok in general like anyone else, but the app does more to protect the users and their videos from the community at large.
TikTok has gradually added more privacy controls to teens’ accounts over the past year. In 2020, the app enabled parents to remove restrictions on a child’s account and later also allow parents to adjust their privacy settings. TikTok has also previously disabled instant messaging for users under 16.
This is all a significant reversal of the way TikTok’s predecessor handled child accounts. TikTok had to pay $ 5.7 million in 2019 for allegations that the parent app, Musical.ly, did not get the approval of parents among children under 13. TikTok now has a separate app experience called “TikTok for Younger Users” that only shows composite videos.