TikTok has announced it is rolling out a new screen time limit for users under 18 years of age.
The company said the changes have been made “to help teens manage their time on TikTok.” From now, every account belonging to TikTok users under 18 years old will soon automatically set to a 60-minute daily screen limit.
The default time limit for eligible accounts is expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
There will still be an option for teen TikTokers to continue using the app beyond the 60-minute limit – but they will have to enter a prompted passcode. TikTok will also send every teen account a weekly recap of their screen time.
The move comes as data is showing more and more students are spending time online.
A study from Common Sense media, a nonprofit research organization, found that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth in screen time. Social media use among tweens (defined in the study as kids age 8 to 12) and teens rose 17% from 2019 to 2021.
In 2021, tweens used an average of five hours and 33 minutes of screen media each day and teens had an average of eight hours and 39 minutes, the study found.
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