TikTok now enforces stricter rules for underage users. Starting today, all registered accounts of 13- to 15-year-olds will be set to private by default. The social medium is also restricting commenting options on videos created by this age group, and downloads are now only allowed for users who are 16 and older. The purpose of these changes is to provide younger users with a safer experience,TikTok writes on its website.
TikTok has more than 800 million users worldwide. Despite its immense popularity, the platform regularly comes under fire. In 2019, parent company ByteDance was taken to task by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) because the app collected data from children under 13 without explicit parental consent. That is prohibited by law in the US. The case was eventually settled for $5.7 million.
Early last year, TikTok became discredited for its "discriminatory and problematic company policies. Videos featuring disabled, overweight and LGBT people were censored. In addition, little action was taken against discriminatory and sexual comments. ByteDance promised improvement, but is once again under fire for possible privacy violations. President Trump is even going so far as to want to ban TikTok and several other Chinese-made apps in the U.S. because he believes they pose a threat to national security. Despite all his suspected attempts, there will be no download ban on TikTok and other Chinese-made apps for the time being.
The Dutch regulator is also concerned about TikTok. The Personal Data Authority is currently investigating whether the app is designed to be privacy-friendly, what information the application collects and whether that is properly explained in the terms and conditions. The report could be published at any time.
The developments described above have most likely prompted TikTok to update its privacy terms. In a blog, the platform explains the updated terms. These focus primarily on underage users of the social network, it says, to "provide them with a safer experience."
"We believe it is important for young people to have age-appropriate privacy settings and control features at the beginning of their digital experience," writes Elaine Fox, head of privacy in Europe, Middle East and Africa. That's why, starting today, TikTok is implementing a stricter privacy policy for underage users.
Starting today, all accounts of young people ages 13 to 15 will be set to private. A private account will allow only user-approved followers to view videos. In this way, TikTok aims to encourage young people to make conscious and informed choices about who they want to share their videos with, and who can view their account.
Furthermore, TikTok limits the reaction options to videos created by users between the ages of 13 and 15. From now on, they can only choose from 'Friends' or 'Nobody'. The 'Everyone' option has been removed. Duet and Stitch settings are now only available to users who are 16 or older. By default, Duet and Stitch are set to 'Friends' for them. Downloads are only allowed for videos created by TikTok users 16 years and older. This option is disabled by default, but can be activated manually if necessary. Accounts of younger users will no longer be suggested to other TikTok users.
"Changing TikTok's default account settings to provide users with more privacy is an important step in our unwavering commitment to the safety of our younger users," Fox writes. She emphasizes that the platform has implemented a variety of privacy protection measures in the past. As examples, she cites a restriction on Direct Messaging, restrictions on buying, sending and receiving virtual gifts for users under 18, and the ability for parents to accompany their offspring using Family Pairing.
"We know that protecting users and their privacy is never finished, and our innovation and investments do not end here," Fox ends her blog. "We will continue to evolve our policies and work closely with regulators and experts on safety for minors. We will also continue to invest in our technology and teams so that TikTok remains a safe place for everyone to express their creativity.
According to estimates, our country has 3.5 million TikTok users. They collectively watch 12.3 billion videos on the platform each month.
