How to set up TikTok Family Pairing
Step-by-step: link your TikTok account to your teen's with Family Pairing, and choose the right screen time, content and privacy settings.
- You need your own TikTok account; link it by scanning a QR code on your teen's phone.
- From your phone, you can set screen time, a Time away schedule, Restricted Mode and privacy settings.
- Your teen will see that Family Pairing is on, so set it up together.
Family Pairing links your TikTok account to your teen's, so you can manage their settings from your own phone. It's free and built into the app.
What you need
- Your own TikTok account (you don't need to post anything)
- Your teen's phone with their TikTok account
- About 10 minutes
How to link accounts
- On your phone, open TikTok, tap Profile, then the menu (three lines), Settings and privacy, Family Pairing.
- Choose Parent, then continue. A QR code appears.
- On your teen's phone, go to the same place: Settings and privacy, Family Pairing, and choose Teen.
- Scan the QR code on your phone with your teen's phone.
- Confirm on both phones.
Menu names change occasionally; if you can't find it, search "Family Pairing" in TikTok's settings.
Settings you can manage
Available settings vary by region and change over time. Typically you can manage:
Screen time
- Daily screen time limit: set a total for each day, with different limits for different days
- Time away: a schedule when TikTok is muted or locked, such as school hours or bedtime
- Screen time dashboard: see how much your teen uses TikTok
Content
- Restricted Mode: limits content that may not be suitable
- Keyword filters: hide videos with words or hashtags you choose from their For You and Following feeds
- Search: control whether your teen can search for content, accounts and hashtags
Privacy and safety
- Account privacy: private or public
- Suggest account to others: on or off
- Direct messages (16 and 17 only): who can message them, or off
- Liked videos: who can see them
- Comments: who can comment on their videos
Some versions also let you see who your teen follows and who follows them, and get notified if your teen reports something.
Talk first
Your teen will know Family Pairing is on. Explain why you want it, and agree on the settings together. Teens are much less likely to create a secret second account if they had a say. See how kids get around parental controls.
Review as they grow
Family Pairing settings that suit a 13-year-old will frustrate a 16-year-old. Plan to loosen them gradually. See parental controls for teens.
Limitations
- Family Pairing doesn't show you your teen's messages or what they watch.
- It only covers the account it's linked to. A second account isn't covered.
- It doesn't work if your teen uses TikTok without logging in, which allows limited browsing.
eGuard sets up screen time, bedtime and app rules on your child's phone and checks that each one is really on. Free for one child.