This month, TikTok is rolling out new tools to empower parents and young users with improved control over their social media consumption and the content they access.
Helping young people make smart choices about social media use is more important than ever. As the most active demographic on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, they are often hit hardest by its negative mental health impacts and can struggle to maintain offline social balance.
Children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media are twice as likely to experience mental health problems, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is increasing efforts to inform families and policymakers about the associated risks. TikTok is now joining other platforms in introducing tools that promote better user habits and reduce potential regulatory pressure in response to rising concerns.
Among its recent changes, TikTok is improving its Family Pairing feature, a parental control tool first introduced in 2020 to support safer online experiences for young people. The tool allows parents to connect their accounts to their kids’, enabling them to oversee screen time limits, direct messaging controls and content filtering. On Tuesday, TikTok revealed two new additions: a feature that lets parents restrict access to the app at certain times and another that provides greater visibility into their teen’s follower list—who their teen follows as well as who follows them.
Parents worry not just about the amount of time their children spend on screens but also about the content they are exposed to. In the absence of effective policies and safeguards, young teens and children risk encountering material that is not only upsetting and unsuitable but, in some cases, illegal and potentially damaging to their mental development.
New TikTok feature encourages teens to log off by 10 p.m.
TikTok is also introducing its new “wind-down” feature, offering parents another useful tool to help manage screen time at home. For users under 16 still active on the app after 10 p.m., TikTok will interrupt their feed with a full-screen “wind-down” reminder, which will play “calming music to help teens relax and be mindful of the time.” The wind-down feature will soon include guided meditation, designed to help users relax and transition to sleep after putting their devices away.
The app is also rolling out an equally important ‘time away’ feature, allowing parents to plan their child’s online activity ahead of time, ensuring screen time aligns with chores, homework or bedtime routines. With features like these, families can have constructive conversations about social media use, working together to find balanced solutions. Empowering parents with control tools may ease worries that could prompt app bans. Teens won’t be able to exceed their screen time limits unless they obtain a unique passcode from their parents.
“We designed these features to reflect best practices in behavioral change theory by providing positive nudges that can help teens develop balanced long-term habits. In countries where this has already been piloted, the vast majority of teens decide to keep this reminder on,” said Adam Presser, head of operations & trust and safety at TikTok via a recent press release.
The scrolling trap: How endless content impacts our sleep
Scrolling can easily become an endless cycle, where funny clips and engaging content pile on until you lose track of time and place. This cycle doesn’t just waste time, it can sabotage our sleep and leave us battling exhaustion the next day. According to a 2022 survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 93% of Gen Z admitted to sacrificing sleep to scroll or participate in social media during late hours.
Even adults can struggle with keeping a routine and knowing when to turn off. Late-night screen time can overstimulate the brain, making it harder to wind down and hit the hay. The blue light emitted from devices also interferes with melatonin production, disrupting the body’s natural sleep cycle and leaving adults just as vulnerable to sleep issues as younger users. Anyone can fall into the trap of late-night doomscrolling. Once our brain grows reliant on its reward system, it can become an addictive cycle that favors immediate satisfaction at the cost of lasting health.
Social media isn’t going away and neither are the concerns that come with it. But by investing in tools that promote balance and accountability, TikTok’s latest steps show that thoughtful guidance, not restriction, may be the most effective path forward. The social media app is set to continue enhancing its safety features, like age assurance and ID verification, throughout the year.
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