Topics: TikTok, Social Media, News
TikTok will be limiting access to its platform for under 18s with an automatic 60-minute screen-time limit for all accounts listed as being under the age of 18.
The new safety measure comes as part of the platform's efforts to help young people manage their time on the social media platform.
In an update to their safety section of their app, TikTok explained the changes: "In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen limit.
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"While there's no collectively-endorsed position on the 'right' amount of screen time or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we consulted the current academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital in choosing this limit.
"If the 60-minute limit is reached, teens will be prompted to enter a passcode in order to continue watching, requiring them to make an active decision to extend that time."
They added: "For people in our under 13 experience, the daily screen time limit will also be set to 60 minutes, and a parent or guardian will need to set or enter an existing passcode to enable 30 minutes of additional watch time."
As part of the measures, teens can opt out of the restriction but are being encouraged to set themselves a daily limit if they scroll for more than 100 minutes per day and the app will be sending teenage users a weekly update recapping how much time they've spent on the platform.
In a press statement,, TikTok said the restrictions form part of an ongoing effort to “bring joy and play a positive role in how people express themselves."
Cormac Keenan, TikTok's head of trust and safety, added: "Every teen is different, and so is every family. That’s why we remain focused on reaching parents with the information they need about TikTok."
The safety update comes as the social media giant has also announced it will soon be delivering TikTok car integration. The app is set to be available with Mercedes Benz cars hitting the market at the end of this year.
TikTok comes alongside a new operating system that Mercedes plans to launch in their next generation of vehicles, known as MB.OS.
TikTok will be accessible from the 'superscreen' that will span the entire dashboard of the Mercedes.
It will allow drivers to click on the TikTok app, scroll through their 'For You', and watch videos while parked.
Passengers will also be able to get involved with the fun, with a portion of the screen located directly in front of them, however, that screen will be unaccessible to the driver. Mercedes added that a driver monitoring system is also be in place to track where the driver is looking.
