TikTok Ups Age Requirement for Livestreams, Adds Adult-Only Setting

pcmag.com:

TikTok is growing up: Starting Nov. 23, the social network will increase the minimum age for livestream hosting from 16 to 18. It will also embrace more mature content soon.

"We plan to introduce a new way for creators to choose if they'd prefer to only reach an adult audience in their Live," according to a blog post(Opens in a new window) that tipped a comedy routine "better suited for people over age 18" or a difficult conversation that may be unsuitable for children.

Over the summer, TikTok began testing a "mature themes" setting, which, when toggled on, limits streamers' Lives to adults only. Don't expect pornographic material, though. TikTok says this is an attempt to prevent minors from stumbling onto videos they may be too young to appreciate or understand. The company's Community Guidelines banning nudity, sexual activity, and violence still apply even with the "mature" setting enabled.

"We want our community to make the most of the opportunities Live can bring without compromising safety," the company said. "We believe these industry-leading updates can further protect the younger members of our community as they start and build their online presence."

TikTok is also prepping an updated version of its keyword filtering tool, which will soon include push notifications that suggest new terms and phrases for your filter list. The algorithmic tool looks at the comments a creator most commonly removes from their Live and recommends similar words to block.

For those folks who prefer a collaborative take on social networking, the new Multi-Guest feature lets hosts go live with up to five other people, any of whom can tap the three-dot menu to flip the camera, add effects and stickers, filter comments, and invite