There is no better social networking site out there than TikTok. The short-video networking site keeps you engrossed with lively videos that users enjoy, keeping them glued and scrolling endlessly through their screens.
Even though TikTok is a good place to relax socially, you might not want to spend hours just scrolling through the app. Though the platform already has daily screen time limits, to help users decide how much time they would like to spend on the app each day, TikTok says it is now adding a new feature to let people control how much time they spend on TikTok in a single sitting.
As the company noted in the announcement today, “… by enabling regular screen time breaks, these prompts will remind people to take a break after a certain amount of uninterrupted screen time, which they can set as they choose.”
The new feature will pop-up a notification (reminder) after the app has been used for a long time that the user has set. This will add another safety measure to the daily limits that are already in place. As the video-sharing platform is more among teenagers (users between ages 13 and 17) TikTok says they will be reminded to use the screen time restricting tool if after they’ve spent more than 100 minutes on the app in a single day.
That’s not all!
Secondly, TikTok is introducing a new screen time dashboard that summarises app activity. The statistics show the length of time the app has been opened, a breakdown of daytime and evening usage, and a daily total for time spent in the app. “Our new screen time dashboard will also give our community data about how much time they are spending on TikTok,” said Jordan Furlong, Product Manager, Digital Well-being for TikTok.
Thirdly, TikTok has added a new online guide it called How can I reflect on my digital well-being with my family and friends? – to its Safety Center. The publication offers advice around having good digital habits and setting boundaries. “The guide encourages our community to reflect more holistically about how they spend their time online – whether on TikTok or elsewhere – and how it makes them feel as they set the boundaries that best suit them,” TikTok wrote.
TikTok said the changes were made in part because of a study it did with an online safety group called Internet Matters. The study found that when teenagers feel in control of their online behavior and habits, it’s good for their health.
According to Internet Matters CEO Carolyn Bunting, “research showed that younger users would welcome the introduction of built-in features and settings that prompt them to both think critically about the time that they are spending online, but also encourage them to use settings to actively manage the time they spent on the app.”
“It is important that they feel in control of their online experiences and are helped to make considered choices.
“We look forward to TikTok developing further features that will put children’s wellbeing at the heart of their design choices.”
