Is TikTok safe for kids?
That’s a question imagine nearly all of us parents have been discussing and worrying about over the last couple of years.
Tik Tok, if you didn’t already know, is a social media platform that works exclusively with short video content. It is a free platform with an age minimum of 13 years, according to its terms and conditions. To confirm your age and set up an account, all users need to do is enter their date of birth themselves in the set-up process. There is no proof needed or verification process included.
This means that there are, of course, children younger than 13 on the app. Some may have their parents’ permission but many will not. Children are very tech-savvy and they know how easy it is to set up an account for something even if they are not technically eligible to use it.
So, is TikTok safe for kids? Should they be on there in the first place?
We don’t think so. And we want to talk to you, fellow parents, about why.
This is our opinion based on our own experience and research. We really welcome other opinions, perspectives and viewpoints so if you disagree, leave us a comment below and explain why! We love to have some healthy dialogue and debate around our blogs.
Let’s get into it!
Influencers and “Role Models”
Something we need to consider when we are thinking about the question of is TikTok safe for kids is that it is not a kids-only platform. This means that while a child may be viewing the content, they are very often viewing content made by teenagers, adolescents, and adults.
On the platform, there are a lot of social media “influencers” and people who have a large following base online. This means that many children look up to these people as role models and they want to copy their behaviour on the app.
The main problem is that lots of this won’t be age-appropriate at all.
There is, despite TikTok saying that they regulate their content according to “community guidelines”, a lot of sexual content on TikTok. It might not be explicit pornography, but it is sexual, suggestive, and inappropriate for children.
When it comes to thinking about is TikTok safe for kids or not, one of the very first things we need to consider is what kind of content our children are seeing on the platform. They might not choose to actively seek out a type of material, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t seeing it. In fact, TikTok works on the basis of picking your content for you, by having a literal “For You” page that shoots content out based on your preferences and habits. At times, it throws up something random. If your child is on there, anything could pop up to them.
Data Protection
When it comes to the issue of data protection and TikTok we need not only consider is TikTok safe for kids, but is TikTok safe for anyone?
TikTok has made the news multiple times over the last couple of years due to its issues with data protection and worries around the selling of data.
Recent studies have shown that TikTok shares your data more than any app on the market and this certainly isn’t a good thing. It is often said that if a product is free to use, you are the product, and this seems to be very much the case with TikTok. The platform isn’t charging you to watch videos because they are taking your data and selling it to third parties.
Might sound like a conspiracy theory but it really isn’t.
Is TikTok safe for kids and their data? Nope, not really.
Adult Presence
As we mentioned in the first point of this blog, your children can be susceptible to a lot of content not meant for them on TikTok. But it isn’t just about the content they scroll past that is meant for adults, it is also about the adults themselves on the app who want to try and communicate with children.
If your child’s TikTok account isn’t private, anyone can see their content, anyone can message them, anyone can comment on their posts, and anyone can join their live streams. Many adults have already used this to their advantage and faced very weak punishments in return. Findings were published that showed adults who were proven to be talking to underage children through TikTok were only given a measly one-week ban from the app.
Can TikTok ever be deemed safe for kids if this is the app’s reaction to such dreadful activities happening right under their noses?
Financial Schemes and Games
When we have been thinking about this question of is TikTok safe for kids we have mostly been thinking about the expected topics; sexual content, predatory behaviour, and data. But what we haven’t mentioned so far is the aspect of money and financial exploitation on the app.
You might not expect a free app to have such issues but TikTok is not safe from deviant financial schemes and games pulled on children either.
TikTok is free to use but there are paid options within live streaming. Accessories and stickers can be given and traded to other people. These must be bought within the app.
There are many people out there who are exploiting the fact that children want these stickers and trading them for lewd messages and pictures. There are other people, other kids included, who are convincing children to send them paid things within the app with their own money.
If you have a child in this day and age, you will know how easy it is for them to put card details into a phone and spend away. It is very easy for children to be financially manipulated on TikTok, even if they are 13 and deemed an appropriate age to use the app.
Is TikTok safe for kids?
Can it even remotely be after everything we have discussed?
I don’t think so.
Do you?
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