TikTok CEO Claims Children Below 13 have Restrictive Content, Promotes Family Pairing

TikTok is one of the most used apps in the world, and not only does it entice adults from the many content available on the platform, but also children who are aged 13 and below. The TikTok experience is something that can keep people on the app, scrolling through videos, or making content, but its CEO shared that it is a platform that keeps children safe with its restrictive content.

Additionally, the Singaporean chief executive shared a way for parents to monitor more of their children's activity, with a feature called "Family Pairing" for enhanced safety.

TikTok CEO Shares 'Family Pairing' Feature for Children Below 13

Back in 2020, TikTok introduced a new feature for parents and guardians to help ease their worries for their children who are below 13 and are using the short-video platform. This is the "Family Pairing" feature that is available in the Settings of the application, where adults may set it up to customize the safety parameters and access of their ward.

Moreover, this feature may be done on both the parent's and child's devices, so that they may continue monitoring more of the accessed content.

According to an interview with Shou Zi Chew, current TikTok CEO, the Family Pairing feature gives parents many tools to help them manage their children's experience on the app. Additionally, children who are below 13 in the United States have a "very restrictive version" of the app.

Shou Zi Chew: No TikTok for his Kids

In the same interview, Chew was asked as to how many kids he has and what ages are they, with the CEO answering two, with one aged 8, and the other at 6 years old.

The executive said that he does not allow his children to use TikTok, and it may be because of his parenting style, or simply knows what the platform brings to young children, hence his restrictions.

TikTok's Platform

With Meta's Facebook and Instagram first investigated for their effect on young users, particularly on teenagers' mental health, it also turned the attention to other platforms like TikTok and Twitter. Back in March 2022, the California Attorney General launched a probe regarding TikTok's effect on a child's mental health in the short-video platform.

According to a September report, the United Kingdom had TikTok under fire for allegedly not protecting children below 13's data and privacy online. The suit claimed that TikTok processed the information of these children, one that when proven legitimate, could lead to the company paying its fines and revamping its system.

TikTok is a platform that gained massive fame and significance in the world now, and it is because of its intuitive UI and algorithm that learns what a person wants, and shows it in the feed. However, even its CEO, Chew, claimed that he is not allowing his children to use the platform, and there is a way to restrict them more than the default with the Family Pairing feature.