If you or someone you know uses TikTok, you might be curious about how the platform keeps younger users safe online. Recently, TikTok shared updates on its teen safety efforts, highlighting over 50 preset privacy and safety features and launching a new advocacy initiative called the #ThinkTwice Troop.
Photo: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash
The announcement was made during a Safer Internet Day event in Manila, where TikTok also brought together youth safety advocates, educators, and creators to talk about protecting teens in digital spaces.
What safety features are available for teens?
TikTok shared that it has more than 50 built-in safety features designed specifically for teen accounts to help create age-appropriate online experiences.
Some of these include:
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Private accounts by default for teens
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A 60-minute daily screen time limit
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Controls for comments and direct messages
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Restrictions on certain For You feed recommendations
There’s also Family Pairing, which allows parents or guardians to link their account to their teen’s account to help manage settings. This feature includes follower visibility and alerts when reports are made.
For content preferences, teens can use Manage Topics to adjust how often specific types of content appear in their feeds. Meanwhile, Smart Keyword Filtering automatically blocks content containing specific words or phrases.
TikTok also introduced a dedicated Time and Well-being section in the app. It includes tools such as a Screen Time Dashboard, guided well-being activities, an affirmation journal, and a soothing sound feature to encourage more mindful digital habits.
According to Yves Gonzalez, TikTok’s Head of Public Policy for the Philippines, the goal is to help teens navigate online spaces safely while still allowing them to explore their interests, learn, and express themselves creatively.
Introducing the #ThinkTwice Troop
Alongside these features, TikTok launched the #ThinkTwice Troop, an advocacy program that brings together child rights organizations, experts, and creators. The initiative focuses on encouraging conversations around teen online safety and promoting shared responsibility among families, educators, communities, and industry stakeholders.
From left: Mona Magno-Veluz, digital historian and inclusion advocate; Hazel Bitaña, Deputy
Regional Executive Director of Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia); Claire Laison,
Director of the Child Rights Desk of the Ateneo Human Rights Centre (AHRC); Yves
Gonzalez, Head of Public Policy for the Philippines at TikTok; and Riyan Portuguez, a
psychologist and digital wellness advocate during the launch of the #ThinkTwice Troop. | Photo: TikTok
During the launch, a panel featuring representatives from Child Rights Coalition Asia, the Ateneo Human Rights Centre, and digital wellness advocates discussed ways to create safer online environments for young users.
Speakers highlighted the importance of helping teens understand their digital rights, including privacy and protection from online harm, while also stressing that responsibility for online safety should not fall solely on young users. Parents, schools, organizations, and platforms all play a role in building safer digital spaces.
The discussion also explored how creators and community leaders can help guide young audiences online, as well as the importance of building healthy digital habits early.
Collaboration with youth safety groups
TikTok also held a consultation session with several civil society organizations and advocacy groups, including Save the Children Philippines, Plan International, International Justice Mission, and Child Rights Network Philippines, among others.
Participants discussed how safety initiatives can better reflect local culture, teen behavior, and real-life experiences, and emphasized the need for a multi-layered approach to protecting young users online.
Through these efforts, TikTok shared that it plans to continue developing safety tools and working with different sectors to support teens, families, and communities navigating digital spaces.
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What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
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