With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
TikTok Sets A New Default Screen-Time Limit For Teen Users
TikTok announced new restrictions this week meant to help teen users reduce their screen time.
(
Dan Kitwood
/
Getty Images
)
The tech giant TikTok has announced new safeguards for teen users as social media companies face growing calls to better protect young people online.
The changes are meant to help teens limit their screen time and be more intentional about how much of their day they spend on TikTok, the company said on Wednesday.
"We believe digital experiences should bring joy and play a positive role in how people express themselves, discover ideas, and connect," said Cormac Keenan, TikTok's head of trust and safety.
The explosion of social media in the past two decades has contributed to a mental health crisis among young people, experts say. Depression rates are surging, and a third of teen girls reported considering suicide in 2021. Research also has shown that limiting screen time can make young people feel better about themselves.
Support for LAist comes from
TikTok users under 18 will now automatically have a 60-minute daily screen time limit. They can continue using the app if they enter a passcode, but the company says that forces users to "make an active decision to extend that time."
Users under 13 will also have a 60-minute daily limit, and a parent or guardian can enter a passcode that extends their daily usage for another half hour.
TikTok will send every teen account a weekly recap of their screen time, and it will also prompt teen users who spend more than 100 minutes on the app to set a daily limit.
The company said it settled on the 60-minute default limit after consulting academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital, though Keenan added that "there's no collectively-endorsed position on the 'right' amount of screen time or even the impact of screen time more broadly."
In addition to issues of safety for young users, TikTok – whose parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing – also continues to face questions about whether its user data is safe from officials in China. TikTok has denied sharing data with the Chinese government.
The White House said this week it was giving federal agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from government devices, and Canada and the European Parliament recently instituted similar bans.
Support for LAist comes from
-
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course. -
The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come as quickly as four months after people submit a claim. But accepting the money means you'll have to forego any lawsuits. -
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high. -
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol.
Best of LAist