Did you block TikTok and think your child can’t access that content anymore? You’re wrong.
TikTok usage exploded in the United States during the Pandemic and in 2020 it was the most downloaded app in the world. It’s famous for catchy tunes paired with cool dance moves.
If you believe your teen isn’t ready for TikTok so you’ve blocked it and think you’ve fixed the problem, think again.
Your teen can still see TikTok videos, even without an account. Videos are cross-posted and can be viewed several ways.
Here are some of the other places that have TikTok videos:
Instagram Reels
Facebook shorts
Snapchat Spotlights
Pinterest
Twitter links
YouTube Shorts
YouTube long videos that are compilations of TikToks
Recently TikTok has released some safety features for teens, meant to soothe parents’ worries and reduce the threat of regulation.
However, most parents were shocked to learn that these safety measures weren’t already in place to protect teens. They’re pretty basic.
Here are the latest safety features from TikTok.
Block direct messaging - When someone aged 16-17 joins TikTok, their Direct Messaging setting will now be set to 'No One' by default.
Decide who can watch videos - a pop-up appears when teens under the age of 16 are ready to publish their first video, asking them to choose who can watch the video. They won't be able to publish their video until they make a selection. With each video going forward, creators can decide who can watch before they post. Accounts aged 13-15 are set to private by default, and private accounts can choose to share their content with Followers or Friends, as the 'Everyone' setting is turned off.
Choose who can download public videos - teens aged 16-17 can choose the option that's most comfortable for them. If they opt to turn the feature on, they'll now receive a pop-up asking them to confirm that choice before others can download their videos. (Downloads are permanently disabled on content from accounts under the age of 16.)
Decrease push notifications - Accounts aged 13-15 will not receive push notifications from 9pm, and accounts aged 16-17 will have push notifications disabled starting at 10pm.