TikTok safety for kids: a complete guide for parents
How TikTok works, its age rules, the built-in protections for teens, the real risks, and the settings and conversations that keep your child safer.
- TikTok requires users to be 13 or older, and gives teens stricter settings by default, based on the birthday they enter.
- Family Pairing lets you link your account to your teen's and manage screen time, content and messaging.
- The biggest risks are endless scrolling, harmful content in the For You feed, and contact from strangers.
TikTok is one of the most popular apps among Filipino teens, and many younger children watch it too. It's fun, creative and often genuinely educational. It's also designed to be very hard to put down.
How TikTok works
- For You feed: an endless stream of short videos chosen by TikTok's algorithm, based on what your child watches and interacts with. See how the For You feed works.
- Following feed: videos from accounts they follow
- Creating: recording, editing and posting videos, often with trending sounds
- Comments, duets and stitches: ways to respond to other people's videos
- Direct messages: private chat (not available to younger teens)
- LIVE: live streaming, with viewers able to send paid "gifts". See TikTok LIVE and gifts.
- TikTok Shop: shopping inside the app
Age rules
TikTok's minimum age is 13. Accounts get different default settings at 13 to 15, 16 to 17, and 18 and over. See TikTok age rules.
The protections depend on the birthday your child entered. If they signed up with a fake older age, they won't have teen protections. Check this first.
The main risks
- Time: endless scrolling, especially at night. See TikTok screen time limits.
- Harmful content: diet and body image content, dangerous challenges, sexual or violent content that slips through, extreme views.
- Contact from strangers: comments, and messages for older teens.
- Oversharing: videos showing uniforms, schools, homes or locations.
- Bullying: mean comments, duets and stitches mocking a child.
- Spending: coins and gifts during LIVEs, and TikTok Shop.
Built-in protections
TikTok has introduced a range of teen protections, including:
- Accounts for 13 to 15 year olds are private by default
- Direct messages are unavailable to under-16s
- A default 60-minute daily screen time limit for under-18s
- No push notifications late at night for teens
- LIVE hosting and gifting limited to adults
- Content levels that filter mature themes for teens
Features change often, so check the current settings in the app.
Set up Family Pairing
Family Pairing links your TikTok account to your teen's, so you can manage their settings from your phone. See how to set up TikTok Family Pairing.
Settings to check
- Private account
- Who can comment, duet, stitch and download their videos
- Who can send messages (16+)
- Restricted Mode
- Screen time limit and Time away schedule
- Suggest your account to others: off
- Location: off
Details in TikTok privacy settings.
Talk about
- What they like on TikTok, and favourite creators
- What to do if they see something upsetting
- Not sharing school, location or uniform in videos
- What to do if a stranger comments or messages
- Thinking before copying trends. See dangerous viral challenges.
If your child is under 13
TikTok isn't designed for under-13s. If your child is already using it, consider whether they're ready, what alternatives exist, and whether to make an account with their real age once they turn 13. See what age should kids join social media.
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.