In Order To Prevent Binges, TikTok Limits Teens To 60 Minutes A Day

As part of the company's commitment to mitigating its addictive nature and addressing the concerns about the app's effects on teens, TikTok will automatically impose a 60-minute time limit for users under 18 years old.

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In a blog post Wednesday, the company said younger users will have to enter a password if they want to binge more than an hour of videos at once. Adults can also keep track of how much time teens spend on the app - and how often they open it - during the day and at night.

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Users under the age of 18 will have a 60-minute time limit by default, but it can be lowered if necessary.

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Taking steps to ensure its users are safe is a crucial moment for TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd. App could be banned in some of the company's largest markets due to intense global scrutiny. The two primary concerns of lawmakers and regulators are whether TikTok's ownership by a Chinese tech company represents a national security risk, and whether it could influence users - particularly younger ones - through its content.

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Similar restrictions have previously been placed on Douyin, TikTok's Chinese counterpart. Users under the age of 14 are now only permitted to utilize the local service of ByteDance for 40 minutes per day after 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily — limitations that are simpler to implement in China since real-name registration is subject to stringent regulations. It's uncertain whether TikTok's precautions will be as successful in the US, where kids might be able to choose not to comply with the rules or choose their own passwords to access accounts.

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As part of the most recent updates, adults can now set a custom time limit and mute messages for minors whose accounts are linked via the Family Pairing tool. If a teen account does not have a time limit, the young user will get a message when they use the app for more than 100 minutes in a day and will be asked to create a limit.

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The amount of time users spend using TikTok is both a source of pride and a source of conflict. According to a research from Sensor Tower from last year, it tops the social media sector by this metric, with users spending an average of 95 minutes per day on the app internationally. Second place went to YouTube with 74 minutes, while Instagram had 51.

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TikTok's tailored feed engages users and aids in the sale of advertisements, the company's primary source of income. Yet it's also this that worries policymakers.

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The marketing of TikTok to young people may have negative effects on users' physical and emotional health, according to a bipartisan group of US state attorneys general. Furthermore, the state of Indiana has taken legal action against the firm over potential threats to young users.

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However, a number of measures to outlaw the app have been presented in Congress due to the threat that its Chinese ownership poses to national security. Through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the Biden administration is launching its own investigation.

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Only one month after Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton threatened to ban the platform if it didn't adhere to content moderation and data standards, the European Commission last week forbade its employees from using TikTok.