TikTok disables DMs, late-night notifications for teens amid safety concerns

(Pocket-lint) - TikTok announced today that the app is taking adjacent much measures to support young children and teenagers harmless connected its level by automatically disabling DMs for definite users and turning the lights retired connected notifications past a definite clip depending connected your age. 

No notifications aft 9PM

One of the archetypal large changes the institution is making is limiting the magnitude of alerts and notifications it sends retired to its young users. Starting today, users of the app aged 15 oregon younger volition halt receiving notification alerts aft 9PM, whereas 16 to 17 twelvemonth olds volition get beeps up until 10PM. 

The determination isn’t being made truthful overmuch arsenic to assistance the youngins of the satellite slumber easier, but alternatively an effort astatine combating late-night bullying, which successful caller times has go much and much of a epidemic successful online communities — particularly those mostly inhabited by teenage users. 

Some of the other, possibly much drastic changes the institution is making, is the automatic privateness settings enabled connected accounts for users nether the property of 15. Those younker accounts volition present beryllium acceptable to backstage by default, meaning their videos won’t beryllium algorithmically shown connected anybody else’s For You Page too the accounts they specifically alteration them for. Further, those accounts won’t person entree to the Stitch oregon Duet features, truthful atrocious kids, nary recreating your favourite creation you conscionable saw connected your FYP until you’re a spot older. 

A fewer different tidbits see disabling video downloading connected teenage accounts (the app volition necessitate users 16 and up to reappraisal their privateness settings earlier allowing different users to download their videos), and asking older teenage users to reappraisal their DM settings erstwhile they archetypal make an relationship connected the app. 

The institution stressed determination was “no decorativeness line” to the magnitude of kid information features they program connected implementing, truthful it’s harmless to presume this won’t beryllium the archetypal clip the explosively fashionable video app makes a fewer information changes present and there. 

If you’ve been surviving nether a stone these past mates of years and aren’t definite what TikTok is each about, you tin read everything you request to cognize astir it close here.

Writing by Alex Allegro. Originally published connected 12 August 2021.