TikTok unveils new 'wind down' tool for teens amid expanded family features

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Social media platform TikTok has expanded its family features aimed to enhance teen safety, promote digital well-being, and provide parents with greater peace of mind. It also provides parents with more options for tailoring their teens' account. This comes as the social media giant launched its "Family pairing" parenting controls five years ago.

One new feature includes "Time away". "Time away" gives parents a way to block their teens from being on the platform during times that they can control. Parents can also set a reoccurring schedule to best suit their family life. If plans change, teens can request extra time, but parents make the final decision.

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TikTok is also adding a feature that can allow parents to see who their teen is following on TikTok, and who follows them, along with accounts their teen has blocked. With increased visibility into their teen's network, the feature aims to assist parents to have ongoing conversations and help their teens develop the digital literacy skills they need.

In response to feedback from parents who want to know more about the content their teens engage with on the app, TikTok will be rolling out a feature in the coming months that allows teens to alert a parent, caregiver, or other trusted adult when they report a video they think may be against TikTok's rules.

With these latest updates, parents can now view or adjust more than 15 safety, well-being, and privacy features, including re-enabling TikTok's feed dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) if their teen has turned it off. This is now available in more than 100 countries and is used by millions of teens every week, according to TikTok.

Additionally, parents can switch their teen's account back to the default private setting, if their teen has made it public.

TikTok has also unveiled a new way to encourage young people to switch off at night. If a teen under the age of 16 is on TikTok after 10pm, their "For you" feed will be interrupted with a new wind down feature. The wind-down feature sees a screen takeover with calming music to help teens relax and be mindful of the time. If a teen decides to spend additional time on TikTok after the first reminder, TikTok shows a second, harder to dismiss, full-screen prompt.

"We designed these features to reflect best practices in behavioural change theory by providing positive nudges that can help teens develop balanced long-term habits," the platform said.

TikTok also stated that in countries where this has already been piloted, the vast majority of teens decide to keep this reminder on. In the coming weeks, TikTok will also test adding meditation exercises to the wind down reminder.

In tandem, the platform will be conducting research with parents and teens around the world to better understand how else it can help with the development of balanced habits. TikTok is also partnering with telecommunication company Telefónica to understand how people can use age information from their phone provider to confirm their age on online platforms.

Natalie Pang, associate professor at National University of Singapore and member of TikTok safety advisory council said, "The new features are useful especially in enhancing interactions between youths and their parents/guardians, including having conversations about their online social networks, and empowering youths to practice healthy digital habits. It is important for both youths and their parents or guardians to be aware of these features, and understand how to use them in a meaningful manner."

Earlier this year, TikTok rolled out its Messaging ads feature across Asia Pacific, providing businesses with a way to connect directly with customers through interactive messaging.

TikTok claimed that this new tool enhances the TikTok experience for both users and advertisers, offering two distinct ad options: direct messaging ads, which keep interactions within the platform; and instant messaging ads, which direct users to popular third-party messaging services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

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