Healthy digital habits: Tiktok supporting families with safety tools

KARACHI: TikTok has introduced a set of tools that allow families to help ensure that teens use the app in a safe and responsible way in Pakistan. After the launch of “Family Pairing Feature”, TikTok has released several features to keep families safe and secure in its platform.

Now, Pakistani parents can see their teen’s privacy settings and be notified when public videos are posted. These tools help foster family dialogue about online behaviour, healthy screen time, and the appropriateness of what they’re viewing. TikTok makes it clear that these tools should not only be used for parental control but are a way to initiate family conversations that can result in teens developing self-awareness and responsible digital habits of creating safety.

Through Family Pairing, parents can use screen-time management tools to set time limits for their teens. Parents have the option to set the daily screen-time limits and schedule breaks. They can also make adjustments to allow or restrict direct messaging, commenting on videos, account discoverability, and who can download videos. From easy setup to digital security, TikTok ensures that the users and communities are safe.

Direct messaging is off by default for accounts of users 16 years of age or younger, and push notifications are muted during night time hours. TikTok unlocks the content feed for users based on responsible age-appropriate content. Screen-time limits of 60 minutes per day are set by default for teens under 18. The system also filters content deemed unsuitable for teens and uses technology to verify that users are placed in the right age-appropriate experience.

Previously, TikTok had introduced a new in-app Guided Meditation feature earlier this year aimed at making mindfulness practices more accessible to people of all ages. Integrated within the existing Sleep Hours setting, this feature encourages users to wind down at night through calming, guided exercises designed to support better sleep and emotional balance. For users under 18, the feature is automatically enabled, replacing the For You Feed with a meditation prompt after 10 pm. to help promote healthy screen time habits. Adults can manually activate the feature through their Screen Time settings.

Through these tools, TikTok aims to support both teens and adults in creating personalized routines that maximize enjoyment while minimizing potential negative effects associated with extended screen time.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025