What age is TikTok recommended for? Common Sense recommends the app for age 15+ mainly due to the privacy issues and mature content. TikTok requires that users be at least 13 years old to use the basic TikTok features, although there is a way for younger kids to access the app.
While TikTok may be appropriate for most teens, it is not primarily aimed at children under 13. The app, however, provides several ways for users and parents to restrict mature content that may not be appropriate for younger users.
Parents can learn to trust that their kids are using TikTok under the conditions they've agreed upon, and kids can learn responsibility when it comes to social media privileges. Using TikTok can also create teachable moments and foster conversations about important topics that may not come up organically otherwise.
You have to enter your birth date to set up an account, but there's no age verification, so it's easy for kids under 13 to sign up. Common Sense Media rates Snapchat OK for teens 16 and up, mainly because of the exposure to age-inappropriate content and the marketing ploys, such as quizzes, that collect data.
“Ten to 12 is a great range because kids are still very connected to their parents and into their parents being in their phone and in their business,” says Catherine Pearlman, a licensed clinical social worker and author of “First Phone,” a guide for kids.
Suggestive Content Abounds
With TikTok being mostly based on music and video, profanity and suggestive clothing/dancing are the most obvious sources of adult content. But the app also encourages some themes that are much more mature than their 16+ rating would suggest.
Zigazoo, the startup known for its TikTok-style video-sharing app for kids, is launching a separate app targeted at Gen Z users.
Jean Twenge, our nation's leading researcher on how social media impacts child and adolescent development, recommends that no child under 13 should be on any social media, including TikTok. And I would add that many 13-year-olds aren't ready. TikTok offers a curated version of their app for under-13s. Don't use it.
1 ENABLE device-level parental controls
TikTok states that the app is intended for users aged 13 years and over and has a 12+ App Store rating.
Tell them that your friends are on TikTok.
Telling them that you have friends on the app might make them think that if they have an account, maybe you should too. Make sure to tell your parents that the main reason you want to join TikTok is to have another way of interacting with your friends.
If TikTok determines that a video's content is too graphic or mature for the user based on their age, users will see a black screen with a warning message that says 'Post unavailable' and 'This post is age protected' underneath.
Harmful Content ?
Unmanaged access to YouTube can result in videos that are definitely inappropriate for kids to watch, including content that features: Sexual content. Nudity. Profanity.
How old should kids be to use Instagram? According to the terms of service, you have to be 13, but there's no age-verification process, so it's very easy for kids under 13 to sign up. Common Sense rates Instagram for age 15 and up because of mature content, access to strangers, marketing ploys, and data collection.
Wednesday Age Rating
Wednesday is rated TV-14 for violence, fear, and profanity, which means it may not be suitable for children under 14 years old.
TikTok has a 12+ rating in the Apple App Store and is listed as “Parental Guidance Recommended” in Google's Play Store.
No parent code, no TikTok. But users aged 13 to 17 can enter their own passcode and continue to use the app. They can also opt out of the 60-minute default screen time limit, but if they spend more than 100 minutes on TikTok a day they will be forced to set their own limits — which they can then bypass with their code.
If your TikTok content is under review, it will be reviewed by our Trust and Safety team to determine whether it should be removed or made ineligible for the For You feed according to our Community Guidelines. This may happen when you upload content, if it gains popularity, or if it's reported.
Nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content are not allowed on our platform. Any content that depicts or supports non-consensual sexual acts, the sharing of non-consensual intimate imagery, and adult sexual solicitation are strictly prohibited.
Typically, it's best for children under 13 not to engage in romantic relationships as they are still developing emotionally and cognitively. Healthy friendships are encouraged for teenagers between 13 and 15, but romantic relationships could be too much for them to handle.
Although not inherently harmful, early dating can put youths at risk for drug use, promiscuity, and other delinquent behavior, experts say. They advise parents not to push the timetable, but to try to understand why a child wants to date and respond with appropriate guidance and limits.
As a general guideline, Dr. Eagar advises not allowing single dating before age sixteen. “There's an enormous difference between a fourteen- or fifteen-year- old and a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old in terms of life experience,” he says.