Top privacy, security features of TikTok that everyone should know

Is TikTok safe? Here’s what you can do to keep your accounts secure and private on the platform.

All you need to know about TikTok app (Bloomberg)

TikTok is quite popular among youth in India. Just like any other social networking platform, TikTok has its own pros and cons. For parents and users in general, it's pertinent to know basic security tips and tools of the platform.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a free social networking app that allows users to create, view and share short video clips. It also allows users to add a soundtrack to their videos. The app also offers different effects to make videos more interesting. TikTok was launched in 2017 by China-based Bytedance.

How popular is TikTok?

TikTok is one of the fastest growing mobile applications. The app is available in more than 150 markets and supports 75 languages. Earlier this year, TikTok hit one billion downloads globally. According to a recent Sensor Tower report, TikTok added 188 million new users in the first quarter of 2019. India contributed 88.6 million users in the first quarter.

Top privacy features of TikTok

So, what can you, and those around you do to remain safe on TikTok? While the company is investing in using cutting-edge technology to weed out objectionable content, there are several built-in privacy and security features that can use.

Age gate: TikTok's age gate feature only allows users age 13 years and above to login and create an account on TikTok.

Parental control: The parental control feature is the combination of Screen Time Management and Restricted Mode. In the app, this feature is called Digital Wellbeing. This feature allows parents to set up a password when they turn on the screen time management and restricted mode on their kid's phones. Without knowing what the password is, one can only watch videos for a limited time length per day or watch filtered content.

Risk warning tag: TikTok also offers a risk warning tag to videos containing potentially dangerous and adventurous activities, such as extreme sports, to warn users not to imitate and engage in potentially dangerous activities.

Filter comments: Similar to Twitter and Facebook, users can choose up to 30 keywords and modify them as they wish, in Hindi and English, which will be filtered out automatically.