TikTok introduces fresh features for its users
TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile videos, has recently introduced a series of digital well-being and safety features aimed at children, parents, and content creators. The goal is to foster healthier online habits, protect users from harmful content, and improve creator support.
Empowering Children and Families
For children and families, TikTok has launched the "Digital Well-being Mission" initiative. This gamified feature offers short, engaging challenges designed to encourage balanced digital habits. Users can complete tasks such as limiting screen time and learning about well-being tools, earning badges upon completion. These missions are integrated into a new well-being module accessible within the app.
TikTok has also enhanced parental controls through Family Pairing. This tool allows parents to monitor their teen's uploads, manage privacy settings, and block accounts to ensure a safer experience. Parents can now see the privacy settings chosen by a child aged 16-17, such as download permissions and follower accessibility. Additionally, TikTok sends automatic notifications to parents when a child posts content visible to other users.
Supporting Content Creators
For content creators, TikTok has introduced a set of new safety and empowerment tools. The Creator Care Mode automatically filters offensive comments and blocks users who have been reported or whose comments were disliked or deleted. The Mute feature for TikTok Live allows creators to bulk mute specific words, phrases, and emojis in real time during live streams.
Creators can also use Content Check Lite to pre-check if their videos might be ineligible for the "For You" feed before posting. The Creator Inbox and Creator Chat Room facilitate better message management and direct interaction with eligible followers.
Addressing Misinformation
In response to misinformation concerns, TikTok has launched a Footnotes feature in a U.S. pilot program. This feature allows vetted users to add context, sources, and relevant information to videos, helping crowdsource content quality control similar to Community Notes on other platforms.
These features collectively address mental health, safety, and content quality, reflecting TikTok’s commitment to creating a safer and healthier environment for its diverse user base. TikTok believes that digital technologies should help users develop, be inspired, and feel comfortable without causing burnout or rejection.
The new features are being developed with input from teens, parents, experts, civil society representatives, and media to ensure safety and transparency. TikTok offers over 50 features and settings for underage accounts to ensure safety, and the platform has a parental control tool called "Family Safety Mode" to help parents adapt the platform to their children's needs.
In addition to these features, TikTok is introducing a new section within the app to house all digital well-being features, including breathing exercises, soothing audio tracks, and time management tools. The app is also updating the Creators' Inbox with features like "unread" and "important" tabs, quick replies, and customizable auto-replies for frequently asked questions.
These updates demonstrate TikTok's ongoing commitment to the well-being and safety of its users, as well as its support for content creators.
- In the digital well-being mission, TikTok offers a selection of tasks to encourage balanced technology use among children, including learning about well-being tools and limiting screen time.
- To empower content creators, TikTok has introduced features such as the Creator Care Mode, which automatically filters offensive comments, and Content Check Lite, allowing creators to pre-check their videos for eligibility in the "For You" feed.
