There’s a lot of debate the world over about what age is appropriate for social media.
Well, beyond that, there’s a debate about whether social media itself is appropriate but that’s beyond this discussion.
Today, we’re looking at what parents and guardians can do to protect children from the more toxic side of social media.
And while some countries have outright banned children and teens from accessing social media, others have taken a more laissez-faire approach. In some cases, the companies themselves set the tenor of regulation.
That’s probably pretty smart when you think about it. After all, why not regulate yourself before the big government decides it is time to do so. Yet, with so many things, it’s hard to thread the needle between making money and adhering to social norms. TikTok is one platform that has not only struggled under scrutiny because of its immense popularity but has also become a political target beyond the debates around social media itself. Questions about its future aside, there is no doubt that TikTok wants to keep people on its platform and make it as safe as possible in the meantime if a recent blog post is to be believed.
From the company’s post: “Today, we're enhancing Family Pairing by launching a way for parents to block their teens from being on TikTok during times that they control. No teen or family is the same, and whether it's during family time, school, at night, or a weekend away, caregivers can use our new Time Away feature to decide when it’s best for their teens to take a break. Parents can also set a recurring schedule to best suit their family life. If plans change, teens can request extra time, but parents make the final decision.”
The company will also make it easier for parents and guardians to see who their children are following on TikTok. TikTok is also trying out a calming meditation sequence before cutting off a user’s connection for the day. Overall, it seems that the platform knows what a dominant role it plays in the lives of some its users and is trying to establish some kind of healthy medium as much as possible.
Any thoughts that you might have on teenagers on social media platforms are welcome in the comments.
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