TikTok

TikTok, a social media platform for young people with short, creative videos, has received a growing list of criticism, including allegations that TikTok illegally collected private information of children using the app in 2019 by the FTC, which violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The parent company, ByteDance, agreed to pay the Federal Trade Commission a $5.7 million settlement.  

TikTok’s content and algorithmic features can pose serious risks to children’s mental health and overall well-being – for example, by allowing inappropriate content such as sexual material, violence, and drug use.  TikTok recommends videos that can be extreme, provocative, and toxic. Such content may exacerbate mental health issues for children and teenagers. For example, if a child is struggling with suicidal thoughts, being exposed to videos depicting suicide or glorifying self-harm can be harmful; teens dealing with eating disorders may encounter video clips of self-induced vomiting or unreasonably strict diets, which can worsen their condition. TikTok conversations about mental health concerns may lead to dismissive or sarcastic comments, bullying, or even encouragement of harmful behavior.  Warning kids about potential dangers—such as harmful content, bullying, and lurking sexual predators—is crucial, and regular monitoring of a child’s TikTok activities is essential. 

Protecting your child’s privacy and safety on TikTok is an important step to ensure they are safeguarded from potential cybercriminals and to ensure that they have a safe and positive experience on the popular app. This guide will provide steps to properly configure your child’s privacy settings on TikTok. It’s encouraged to set these settings to be as private as possible and to do so with your child present to allow for open communication and questions.