Here is how TikTok's new feature helps parents curate their child's account

In the fast-growing social media world, TikTok has become one of the most popular video-making platforms, especially among teenagers who not only show off their skills but learn about latest trends, new technology and essential skills through the app.

But parents are concerned about the online safety of their children and want to stay aware of their online activities.

Keeping the genuine safety concerns of parents in mind, TikTok has recently released an important feature called Family Pairing, which enables parents to monitor their children's activity on the app and ensures their online safety.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the tech company said that the feature is also a source of creating a bond of trust between parents and children and bridging the communication gap between them.

Using the feature, the parents will learn to trust their children, while teenagers will develop a sense of responsibility while creating content, it added.

What the feature offers

The feature enables the parents to oversee the activity and content on their children's accounts on their phones without having to access the children's phones.

How to use

All the parents have to do is to create their TikTok account, after which they can easily link it to their child’s account using the feature.

Safety settings

As per the statement, the Family Pairing feature offers a set of customized safety settings. 

Daily screen time: Time management is the core concern of parents. They want teens to use the app in a disciplined manner. With the help of Daily Screen Time, parents can set a time limit for children to use the app. Even if the teen has multiple devices, the setting will automatically apply to all those devices.

Restricted Mode: TikTok has a strict policy when it comes to content quality and only appropriate content is allowed on the platform. However, parents sometimes feel that certain types of content can be unsuitable for their teens.

The Restrict Mode helps parents to block content that they believe could harm their child.

Search: By using the Search setting, a parent can decide which person, content, and hashtag the child can explore. They can also choose which specific sound should be blocked from the search bar.

Discoverability: With the help of the Discoverability setting, the teen’s account can be set to two modes. First is the "private mode" that gives teens the authority to decide who can view their profile. The second is "public mode", which allows anyone to go through the account.

Suggest account to others: Like other social media platforms, TikTok also offers a list of suggested accounts. By using this option, the parent has the authority to feature the teen’s account on the recommended list or not.

Going the extra mile: In addition to the aforementioned settings, TikTok’s Family Pairing provides control over some crucial options. This includes Direct Messages where the parent can either switch off the message option or restrict who can send a message on the teens’ account.

It is pertinent to mention here that direct message is unavailable for teenagers aged 13-15.

Moreover, parents have the authority to decide who can browse the videos their teens like and restrict people’s comments as well.

TikTok said that parental control is currently available only for mobile applications. For TikTok on mobile web and desktop browsers, Google’s family centre or Apple’s parental control (for iOS) can be used.