TikTok update will change privacy settings and defaults for users under 18

TikTok announced today it’s making changes to its app to make the experience safer for younger users. The company will now set the accounts for users ages 13 to 15 to private by default, as well as tighten other controls for all users under 18, in terms of how they can interact with other users and TikTok content itself. TikTok is also announcing a partnership with Common Sense Networks, a media company focused on creating and curating age-appropriate and engaging media experiences for kids and families.

The partnership will see Common Sense Networks working with TikTok to provide additional guidance on the appropriateness of its content for users under 13.

The social video app in 2019 had been fined $5.7 million by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for violating U.S. children’s privacy laws. The FTC had begun looking into the app back when it was known as Musical.ly. The earlier version, prior to its acquisition by ByteDance, had collected personal information for children under 13 without parents’ consent.

As a result of that ruling, TikTok created a new, legally compliant experience for younger users in the U.S. with age-appropriate content and no ability to publish videos.

Now, TikTok will restrict the experience for other minors using the app who are over 13, too.

For children ages 13 to 15, accounts will be set to private by default and TikTok will turn off the setting “Suggest your account to others.” This will allow users’ videos to only be seen by those they approve as a follower and limits their account from being recommended to others elsewhere in the app.

Commenting controls are also being locked down for these users.

They’ll now be able to choose between “Friends” or “No One” in terms of who can comment on their videos, and the “Everyone” option will be removed. The Dueting and Stitching features will also be removed, which limits how these younger users can engage with other TikTok users and their content. They won’t be able to make their videos downloadable either.

For those ages 16 to 17, the default setting for Duet and Stitch will be set to “Friends,” and they’ll only be able to download videos created by users 16 and over as a result of the lockdowns for younger users. Downloads for their own videos will also be set to Off by default, but they can enable this, if they choose.

TikTok had already restricted younger users’ accounts before today in various ways, including not only through the under-13 age-gated experience, but also by restricting direct messaging and hosting livestreams to accounts 16 and over, and restricting virtual gifts to users over 18. Parents additionally have had the option to control their child’s experience through the Family Pairing feature, which offers parental controls and screen time limits, among other things.

Of course, any of these restrictions can be worked around for those who lie about their age upon sign-up. But it’s still fairly unusual for a large social network to do more than look the other way when it knows that minors are on its app.

In TikTok’s case, however, it has a large underage user base — some estimates have said that 41% of TikTok is between ages 16 and 24. But in the U.S., TikTok has attracted a particularly large teenage userbase. The company said in 2020 that 60% of its 26.5 million monthly active users in the U.S. were between 16 and 24. Even some of TikTok’s biggest stars, like Charli D’Amelio, are still just teenagers.

The attention to minor safety and parental controls gathered TikTok praise from notable youth safety experts, which the company also shared.

Today, TikTok is touting praise it’s received from the National PTA, ConnectSafely, NCMEC, Family Online Safety Institute and WeProtect Global Alliance. The groups believe the changes will help teens be able to use the app more safely, responsibility and without the further risk of exploitation.

“We couldn’t be more pleased about partnering with TikTok to develop better content experiences for users under the age of 13,” added Eric Berger, CEO of Common Sense Networks, in reference to his organization’s partnership with the social video platform. “At Common Sense Networks, we see this engagement as an opportunity to double down on our commitment to elevate the quality of children’s digital media so that age-appropriate content is the rule in our industry and not the exception,” he said.

The changes will roll out starting today.

Correction: Common Sense Networks is a for-profit affiliate of a nonprofit (Common Sense Media.) References to it being a nonprofit were removed.