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TikTok introduce features to protect its teenage users

Short video sharing platform, TikTok, is introducing new features for teenagers. The new feature aims to put a cap on video downloads, screen time, and protect teenage users.

The short video sharing app also said it is disabling automatic downloads for creators of age 13 to 15. In the meantime, the video makers from age 16 to 17 will get a pop-up before publishing their videos.

The pop-up is to let them choose their option for their audience: followers, friends only, or only themselves.

The teenage creators from this age group will also be provided with the option to make their videos downloadable, or not.

TikTok had in January, rolled out restrictions on who can see content from teen accounts, making them visible only to friends, and in other case, private by default.

The video sharing platform is introducing push notification limits at night for teenage users. The limit, according to the app, is targeted at reducing screen time.

The company stated that notifications will stop at 9pm for teenagers between 13 and 15 years old, while for kids from 16 to 17 years, notification will stop for them at 10pm.

Notifications will resume the next morning at 8am.

Read also: Facebook activates End-to-end encryption technology for voice and video calls

Also, TikTok said that new users aged 16 to 17 will have their direct messages disabled by default. Users in this age group will have to explicitly allow people to message them after signing up.

As features are being rolled out to protect teenagers from internet abuse, Instagram also rolled out a couple of features to protect its teenager users from unsolicited contact by adults.

YouTube has also made all uploads by teenager private by default. YouTube also reduced the number of “overtly commercial” videos shown to teenagers. Google also made some changes for users of that age group by turning in age-based ad targeting.

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