TikTok implements 60-minute screen time limit for users under 18.
If young people reach the new limit, they must enter a passcode to keep using the service that day.
But they can choose not to use the new feature, which TikTok says will be available “in the coming weeks.”
The video app, owned by China, said it is adding this feature to help people “stay in control” of how they use it.
TikTok said that the new limit comes after it added a prompt last year to encourage teens to limit their time on their phones. It said, “234% more people use our screen time tools.”
Users of the platform must be at least 13 years old, and this new feature will send a “recap of their screen time” every week to anyone under 18.
As soon as we implement the changes, we will show affected users a screen with their new time limit passcode in their app.
If you choose not to follow the new 60-minute limit but still use the app for 100 minutes daily, TikTok will remind you to set your screen time limits.
Parents whose kids use the app’s Family Pairing feature will have the ability to set screen time limits and view a dashboard that shows how their kids are using the app.
TikTok’s head of trust and safety, Cormac Keenan, said the company had worked with researchers to develop the new rules.
“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,” he said.
Critics of the video app liked the limit on screen time, but they said it was just the “tip of the iceberg” when it came to TikTok’s response to the number of young people using the app.
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