TikTok Will Introduce Age- and Content-Based Restrictions for Minors, and More

While the loudest controversy TikTok has recently got into is about the access Chinese officials have to user data, there are other concerns as well. One of them is about user safety which results in TikTok’s attempt to build a certain restriction system that will hide more mature content from minors. That issue is reportedly now being addressed by developing a content-based classification system.

How will TikTok define mature or sensitive content, and how is it supposed to protect younger users from it? Last fall, ByteDance’s VP of Public Policy stated that such efforts were already being considered. Now, we can have a glance at how the system will function.

First, TikTok, well-known for its algorithms offering the most appropriate content for every user, is going to detect “content maturity and thematic comfort zones,” as they put it. Not only will it mean that children will not see content that’s obviously too “adult” (as far as TikTok rules allow it).

While restrictions based on maturity will apply automatically, users will remain free to choose which topics they would like to see on their feeds and which they wouldn’t. This can relate to various dangerous challenges, alcohol, and smoking, as well as bullying, romantic relationships, humor on certain subjects, etc.

In addition, TikTok is working on creating various age-related categories which can help sort videos. It plans to implement categories like “family,” “kids”, “teen”, “adult”, etc. Certain content will be banned completely, like that promoting misogyny, racial prejudices, or eating disorders (extreme diets, fasting, etc.)

Do you think it will work? How do you think this responsibility taken by TikTok will affect its popularity and the content its most vulnerable users will consume? We’d like to read your opinion in the comments!