TikTok introduces a Daily screen time limit for teenagers

TikTok announced new features that are rolling out to promote healthy usage by limiting teenagers’ screen time to 60 minutes per day with the option to turn it off.

Starting in the next few weeks, all TikTok users under the age of 18 will have a daily screen time restriction of 60 minutes applied automatically. If a teenager exceeds this limit, they will be required to enter a passcode to continue using the app. While this limit can be disabled, those who surpass 100 minutes of usage per day will be prompted to set a new limit.

During the first month of testing, TikTok reported a 234 percent increase in the usage of its screen time management tools, thanks to the prompts provided to users.

To further promote healthy usage, the app will send weekly inbox notifications to teens, summarizing their screen time and encouraging them to make informed decisions about their usage. These weekly updates and prompts to use screen time tools are available now.

TikTok says it consulted experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital on how long the time restriction should be.

While there’s no collectively-endorsed position on how much screen time is ‘too much’, or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we recognize that teens typically require extra support as they start to explore the online world independently

Cormac Keenan, Head of Trust and Safety at TikTok, in a statement.

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The 60-minute limit will affect people under 13 years, the daily screen time limit will also be set to 60 minutes, and a parent or guardian will need to set or enter an existing passcode to enable 30 minutes of additional watch time.