TikTok update allows parents to disable DMs for their kids

TikTok recently released an update to its platform that gives greater control to parents over their kids' TikTok accounts. The company has rolled out a feature set called 'Family Pairing' which enables parents to customise the safety settings of their kids' TikTok based on their individual needs.

As a part of this update, TikTok has released a feature that allows parents to control the Direct Messaging feature available in their kids' TikTok app. Parents can not only restrict the people who can send direct messages or DMs to their kids but they can also disable this feature completely in their kids' accounts.

In addition to this, the company is also disabling the DM feature for all users who are under 16 years of age. Simply said, parents of kids' under 16 will not have to worry about their kids texting a person they don't approve of. This feature will be rolled out to users starting April 30.

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"With user safety in mind, we have many policies and controls in place for messaging already - for example, only approved followers can message each other, and we don't allow images or videos to be sent in messages. Starting April 30, we will be taking those protections one step further as relates to younger members of our community, and automatically disabling Direct Messages for registered accounts under the age of 16," TikTok noted in a blog post.

In addition to this, the video-sharing platform is also rolling out features that would allow parents to control how long your kids can spend on TikTok every day. They will also be able to restrict the content that they think isn't appropriate for their kids. "Even without Family Pairing enabled, parents can help their teen set Screen Time Management and Restricted Mode by visiting the app's Digital Wellbeing controls at any time," TikTok added.