TikTok revamps teen privacy policy and makes accounts private
TikTok users under 16 will have to deal with new terms of use. For example, accounts for them are now private by default, TikToks of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 are no longer recommended to other users and videos from users under 16 can no longer be downloaded.
The new settings are aimed at anyone under the age of 18. Where users can only officially create an account for many services from the age of eighteen, with Tiktok this is possible from the age of thirteen. By default, all accounts of users between the ages of 13 and 15 are now private. Only approved followers can see a video of that user.
In addition, 13- to 15-year-olds can only choose between having friends comment on their videos, or no one. The option to open comments to everyone has been removed. Also, users will no longer be able to create a Duet or Stitch video, where users sing together or comment on a TikTok video with the original video next to it, featuring TikToks from users under 16.
For 16- and 17-year-olds, Duet and Stitch are now set to Friends-only by default. They can open it again to everyone. Videos from users under 16 can no longer be downloaded. Again, downloading is disabled by default for 16 and 17-year-olds, but they can turn downloading back on.
An important part of TikTok is the recommendations screen, where the TikTok algorithm shows relevant videos to first a small, and then an increasing group of users. This is the way for many TikTok accounts to become known on the platform. TikTok does not require a large group of followers to achieve a large reach. A video can go viral because of that algorithm. Accounts of users under the age of 16 will no longer be recommended to users other than friends. Young people can recommend turning it on again, but they must then consciously choose to do so.
With the new terms of use, TikTok hopes that young users will become more aware of their online privacy, the company writes. “We want our younger users to be able to make informed choices about what to share and with whom,” writes Elaine Fox, head of privacy at TikTok’s European branch.