People.com reports that TikTok has unveiled its newest privacy settings for its teen users...
As of yesterday, TikTok accounts registered to users ages 13-15 will have their privacy setting defaulted to private, meaning that only the user's approved followers can view their videos, according to a press release.
If they choose to do so, those users can also manually change their privacy settings to public so that their videos are viewable to all, the company stated.
"By engaging them early in their privacy journey, we can enable them to make more deliberate decisions about their online privacy," the release reads.
A number of other changes were also included in the announcement, such as limiting the comments section for users ages 13-15 to friends-only or no one at all, and only allowing video downloads for users 16 and over.
Duet and Stitch settings will also be changed so that they're only available on content created by users age 16 and over. Users ages 16-17 will have their default setting on Friends only, the release stated.
Similarly, the "Suggest your account to others" setting will be switched to off by default for users ages 13-15, according to the release.
In addition to new policies, TikTok said they're also building on previous updates to promote youth safety.
These include restricting direct messaging and hosting live streams to users 16 and over, restricting any buying, sending or receiving of virtual gifts to users 18 and over, and enabling a Family Pairing feature, which allows parents/guardians to set guardrails on their teen's TikTok.
