TikTok Unveils New Resources for Families

TikTok has overhauled its Safety Center, adding several new guides to promote internet safety. In addition, the platform has also unveiled a Guardian's Guide, a resource that provides safety information to parents and families.

In a post on the TikTok Newsroom, TikTok announced that it's taking yet another step to increase security for kids on the platform. TikTok's new measures are supposed to help alleviate the concerns of parents, as well as educate families on how exactly TikTok operates.

As a part of this update, TikTok introduced a Guardian's Guide, which gives parents a breakdown of the platform.

"This Guardian's Guide is designed to provide an overview of TikTok and the many tools and controls we've built into the product to keep our community safe," TikTok writes. "The guide also provides general information on common internet safety concerns."

On the page, TikTok outlines the basics of the app, the Community Guidelines, as well as TikTok's privacy policy. It also provides an overview of Family Pairing, a feature that lets parents monitor their child's TikTok account.

Other Changes TikTok Made to Its Safety Center

Besides the Guardian's Guide, TikTok also added several new resources to educate young users and their parents about bullying prevention. TikTok has partnered with the Cyberbullying Research Center, Net Family News, and TikTok's US Content Advisory Council to create a guide that helps people recognize and put a stop to bullying.

TikTok's Safety Center now also includes a series of videos for parents. The videos primarily revolve around safety on TikTok, the app's Community Guidelines, as well as any additional resources for parents.

TikTok safety partners

Finally, the platform has added a page titled, "Safety partners," which offers some insight into what safety programs that TikTok is participating in. For example, TikTok has partnered with the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) to redirect any in-app searches that may be associated with eating disorders.

TikTok Continues to Improve on Safety

TikTok has been continually criticized for failing to keep kids safe on the app. While the app undoubtedly has its flaws, it's definitely making an effort to improve its safety features.

TikTok can be a fun platform to browse through funny videos, learn something new, as well as discover talented people, but it can quickly become dangerous. Kids may be tempted to try dangerous TikTok trends, and children under the age of 13 may even lie about their age to unlock the unrestricted version of the app. The only way to prevent this is to keep a close watch on your child's social media accounts.

May 13, 2021