Is TikTok safe for kids? Well, we do not have an exact answer. But we do know every day, the average child aged 4 to 15 spends 80 minutes watching TikTok, while a video is only about 15 seconds long, which means your child has watched (unconsciously) 320+ videos a day.
Such a waste of time, isn’t it? Besides, like any social platform, TikTok doesn’t censor inappropriate content (not just porn) that affects your children’s mentality.
That’s why many parents have used CyberPurify Kids to detect and blur 15 types of harmful content in real-time. Don’t forget to get your children’s online protector!
And now, to find an answer to “Is TikTok safe for kids?”, below are 10 things parents MUST know:
10 things that make parents question is TikTok safe for kids (Part 1)
Harmful content: Why is TikTok bad for kids?
Recent research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) shows that children easily access harmful and inappropriate content on TikTok, including:
- Pornographic/sexual content, or in short, 18+ content.
- Racist content: Videos promoting white supremacy, expressing support for extremists or terrorists, or anti-Semitism.
- Content can be haunting such as footage related to the terrorist attacks in Christchurch in 2019 and footage of the IS.
- Content creators that incite hate and extremism are actively using TikTok’s internal tools to show more people their content.
Okay, so does TikTok have content warnings?Â
No, your kids can literally… see anything.
Unlike YouTube’s age-tagging mechanism which requires users to log in to view adult content, TikTok does not require a login so anyone with the link to the video can reach it.
What’s worse, TikTok does not have a mechanism to label content by age. As a result, they don’t prevent underage users from watching inappropriate videos.Â
TikTok challenges: Is TikTok safe for kids?
Hm, not really. Parents may already know how deadly those trends are. Some can even take your children’s lives.
That’s why here is another parenting guide for you to better understand dangerous TikTok challenges and how to talk with your children about them:
Does TikTok spy on your children?
Unfortunately, it does, even when your children don’t have an account. So, is TikTok safe for 11 years old?
According to TikTok’s privacy policy, it collects information when your children create an account or use the platform. In other words, even if your children are under 13 years old, their information is still collected.
This includes technical information like IP address, mobile carrier, screen resolution, timezone, children’s behaviors on the platform; data and messages parents share through the app matching the content their kids created but have not yet posted.
Besides, TikTok collects biometric information as defined under US laws, but only Illinois, Washington, California, Texas, and New York states have this law, which means young users from other states are not notified about the data collection.
Also, when TikTok updated its privacy policy, its website was not available when users tried to access it. What do you think? Is TikTok safe for kids?
The dangers of Tik Tok – Increased insecurities among teenagers
Videos like “What do I eat in a day”, “How do I lose 8 lbs in a week without working out” videos showing girls with extremely thin bodies with comments advocating their diets, etc., have more or less an effect on your child’s perception of his/her body.Â
Is TikTok safe for 11 year olds? With a video-sharing app like TikTok, the risk of your child comparing his or her body to others is increasing, making them suffer from low self-esteem or forcing themselves into an extreme, unhealthy diet.
Why is TikTok bad for kids? When your kids watch this content frequently, videos about similar topics, such as low-calorie food, how to lose weight in 3 days, how to lose weight with no exercise, and even eating disorders will show up more often.
In short, dangerous and extreme eating habits are being promoted and celebrated on this platform.Â
Part 2 of 10 things that make you question is TikTok safe for kids is now available. But before that, parents can explore the dangers of Tik Tok and some tools and tips for your child’s online safety at:
