With over 1.6 billion active users, TikTok has firmly cemented itself as one of the most popular social media platforms of all time.

However, despite its unparalleled popularity, TikTok, like all social media platforms, presents unique risks to children and teens.

Here, the team from safeguarding training experts High Speed Training share guidance on the essential things all parents need to know to ensure their children are using TikTok safely.

What is TikTok?

First launched in 2016, TikTok is a short-form video sharing platform where people can share, create and watch videos.

Users can browse different content on a personalised feed known as the ‘For You Page’ (FYP).

The videos shown to users differ from person to person and are personalised using different algorithms.

TikTok is predominantly used by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, with research in March 2024 finding that in the UK alone, 76 percent of online users aged between 15 – 24 years old regularly engaged with the app, spending approximately 30 hours per month on it.

An Ofcom report found that TikTok was the third most used platform amongst children, with half of children aged 3 – 17 years using the platform in 2021.

Dr Richard Anderson Head of Learning and Development at High Speed Training, said: “Both Gen Z and Gen Alpha are viewed as ‘digital natives’ as, unlike previous generations, they have never known a world without the internet.

“As such, the internet and by extension social media, has greatly influenced their upbringing and their reliance on technology and mobile devices. 

“The vast reach of the app, its popularity and the wide variety of content that it provides, can make it difficult for parents and guardians to monitor the online activities of their children.

“This leads to understandable concerns about online safety and appropriateness of the platform.” 

TikTok is a powerful creative outlet for many, has the potential to show users new and exciting things that they have never come across before, with exposure to different music, culture and ways of life.

TikTok has also become a popular source of news for users, with popular news outlets such as BBC, Al Jazeera and The Guardian sharing news about world events. 

However, there are potential risks associated with using the app:

Exposure to explicit content – Whilst TikTok doesn’t allow users to search for content with certain hashtags, explicit content is prevalent on the app and not necessarily difficult to find.

Screen addiction – Social media is designed to capture and hold attention, and each view, like and share triggers a dopamine release which keeps you in a cycle of viewing, liking and sharing. 

Self-esteem – Social media often presents a picture perfect, unrealistic version of people’s lives, and users can often find themselves comparing against an unrealistic and unattainable ideal. This can lead to a negative self-image and low self-esteem.

Unwanted communications– Whilst TikTok profiles for children are automatically set to private, should a young person create a secret account, they can set whatever age they wish and make their account public. This means that anyone can see their videos, access their location information or send them direct messages. This leaves young people vulnerable as strangers can follow and interact with them under the guise of being someone else or having innocent intentions. 

Cyberbullying – As with all social media platforms there is the risk of your child being subjected to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is online bullying or harassment that utilises technology often because it affords the bully a level of anonymity. Bullying of any kind can have a catastrophic effect on a child’s mental health and there have been a number of unfortunate incidents in recent years that have highlighted the damaging effect of bullying. 

Dangerous challenges – A notable part of TikTok’s popularity has been different online challenges. Whilst many of these challenges are fun and light-hearted, others can be harmful and incredibly dangerous and there have been reported incidents of children and young people losing their lives as a result of attempting different online challenges.

Does TikTok Have Parental Controls?

In order to help keep children and young people safe on the platform, TikTok provides various parental controls, such as default private accounts for under 18’s, screen time limits, and limited messaging for under 16’s.

Family pairing enables parents and guardians to link their own TikTok accounts to their child’s account and manage certain settings, such as screen time limits, content filters and limiting message recipients. 

You can read more about TikTok’s guardian specific safety features here. 

5 TikTok safety tips

TikTok, like any other social media platform, comes with certain risks. However, there are many ways to reduce the risks and ensure the safe and fun use of TikTok for your child.

Below you will find five top tips to help keep your child safe on TikTok. 

1. Set up family pairing – As mentioned above, family pairing allows you to have more control over what your child does or doesn’t see and who they engage with

2. Speak to your child – If your child is unaware of the potential dangers of TikTok they are less likely to follow any rules that you put in place regarding it. The goal here isn’t to scare your child into obedience, but to have an honest and open conversation about the potential risks.

3. Check in occasionally – Don’t be afraid to check your child’s profile every now and again. This could be to see what content they are posting so as to show your support or to double check that what they are seeing or posting is appropriate

4. Take an interest – Different generations have very different views on TikTok and it is easy for parents to dismiss it as a trivial waste of time. However, if your child is eager to show you the content they have created or the creators that they are engaging with, it’s important to show an interest. 

5. Encourage a variety of hobbies – Actively encouraging a variety of hobbies ensures that your child doesn’t spend the majority of their free time on the app. Allowing them to explore new things and find hobbies outside of TikTok, even if they discovered the hobby on TikTok, will help to ensure they don’t spend too much time on the app. 

Dr Anderson continues: “TikTok has taken the world by storm and has proven to be a social media global phenomenon.

“Its prevalence and popularity amongst children and young people present unique difficulties, however, careful consideration and open communication can help to greatly reduce the risks that it poses.

“At its core, TikTok is a creative platform that allows people to come together and share fun, imaginative and unique content. Encouraging your child to remain diligent and cautious enables them to enjoy the app safely.

“It’s important to have an awareness of social media so that you can make better informed decisions to protect your child, whilst respecting their freedom of expression and autonomy.”