TikTok Sets Accounts for Persons Under 16 as Private
Many underage TikTok users may be surprised - their accounts are now automatically no longer public, and the popular Duet and Stitch features have been heavily restricted. All in an effort to improve security.
TikTok introduced a package of solutions to improve the security of its users and protect the youngest from pedophiles. Most changes concern users under 16 years old who can expect the strictest privacy settings.
The accounts of 13-15 year olds have been automatically made private. You will not be able to download the videos they post, and only approved friends will be able to comment on them, even if you change your account to public. By default, teen accounts will not appear among the suggestions. You also won't be able to do the popular Duets with them or use their content as clips in Stitch.
Similar new features await 16- and 17-year-olds. On their accounts, Duets and Stitches will only be allowed for friends, and the ability to download files will be disabled. However, the users will retain control over their privacy settings and will be able to allow anyone to use the content they create.
Duets are one of TikTok's most popular features. They enable users to create collaborative videos or comment and expand on content posted by other users. Initially, this feature was meant to be used for singing together, but the creativity of users has shown that this is just one of many possible applications.
While the changes may not appeal to users, they met with a positive response from those responsible for children's safety online. Andy Burrows of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, quoted by The Guardian, said that the solutions will strongly reduce the possibility of seducing minors on the website. As he pointed out, this is especially important during a pandemic, when children are spending much more time online.
These changes should make life harder for pedophiles, but they still don't solve the problem of plastic surgeons preying on teenagers, which we wrote about a few days ago. TikTok enters the new year with serious image challenges.
Konrad Sarzynski
He has enjoyed writing since childhood and always dreamed of writing his own book. He just never expected it to be a scientific monograph. He recently earned a doctorate in urban development, and is also working in scientific publishing, where he manages several journals and cares for the quality of the papers published there. He began his adventure with Gamepressure in late 2020 in the Tech department. He became heavily involved with the tech newsroom, and for a brief moment even ran it. Currently, he keeps an evening and weekend shift in the Tech section, and contributes to journalistic texts during the day. If a picture has a bad caption in a review, it's probably his fault. He has been playing since forever, and also likes to talk a lot. In 2019, he decided to combine both passions and started streaming on Twitch. A small but remarkable community has formed around his channel, which he considers one of his greatest achievements. He also has a cat and a wife.
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