Deemed to be “very addictive” especially among minors, TikTok should deploy in a few weeks a feature to warn young users of their time of viewing. After that time, the miner will need to enter a password to continue watching the site, TikTok said in a statement.
If they have a family pairing of accounts, parents will be able to “set a maximum daily screen time for their teen based on the days of the week“, says TikTok.
Average time: 1h47 per day
This new feature, which complements existing warnings, aims to respond to those who criticize the explosion of time spent on the app by 4-18 year olds, caught up in the uninterrupted scrolling of videos offered by algorithms that analyze their tastes. . According to a recent global study by Qustodio, in 2022, minors spent an average of 1h47 per day on TikTok.
Secretary of State for Children Charlotte Caubel had questioned TikTok in a tweet on February 25. “The European Commission is asking its employees to remove TikTok. This must also question us for our children. The application is subject to many abuses: pinching in the face, misinformation… its impact should not be underestimated“.
“This proposal is a step in the right direction, but does not address all of our concerns, particularly with regard to the protection of user data and the content of accessible content for our children.“, she reacted on Wednesday, judging that a “firm and committed dialogue with the platforms is the only way to protect our children on the internet“.
The Minister Delegate for the Digital Transition Jean-Noël Barrot saw in this device announced by TikTok a “progress that was expected“, in a statement to AFP.
The Chinese version of TikTok, called Douyin, is limited for children under 14 to 40 minutes a day and is inaccessible to them between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
A bill by MP Horizons (right) Laurent Marcangeli will be discussed this Thursday in the National Assembly, setting the “numerical majority” at 15 years. It would oblige minors below this age to obtain their parents’ authorization to register on social networks.