TikTok Sets 1-Hour Time Limit for All Teen Users (But It's Easily Bypassed)

pcmag.com:

TikTok is setting a daily time limit for all teen users on the video-sharing app to help rein in excessive social media use. 

“In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit,” the company says in a blog post(Opens in a new window). 

However, the time limit can be easily bypassed. A teen user simply has to enter their passcode to keep watching. Still, TikTok says adding this extra hurdle requires a teengers “to make an active decision to extend that time,” meaning it could nudge them to keep their app use under control. 

“Research also shows that being more aware of how we spend our time can help us be more intentional about the decisions we make,” TikTok adds. 

A teen user can also opt out of the daily time-limit system altogether. However, TikTok will still prompt them to set up a daily screen time limit if they end up using the video-sharing app more than 100 minutes in a day. 

The system builds on TikTok’s effort last year to introduce screen time controls that can nudge people to take a break from the platform. “Our tests found this helped increase the use of our screen time tools by 234%,” the app says. In Wednesday’s announcement, TikTok adds: "Everyone will soon be able to set their own customized screen time limits for each day of the week and set a schedule to mute notifications."

“In addition, we're rolling out a sleep reminder to help people more easily plan when they want to be offline at night. People can set a time, and when it's reached, a pop-up will remind them it's time to log off,” TikTok says. 

Of course, the same screen time controls risk reducing user activity on TikTok. However, the app is facing harsh scrutiny