• by Colin Kirkland , March 12, 2025

TikTok is addressing safety concerns over teens' over-indulgence with its app and social media in general via the launch of a new “wind down feature” that presents users under 16 years old with full-screen reminders to stop using the app after 10pm.

“This is a full-screen takeover with calming music to help teens relax and be mindful of the time,” says TikTok.

If a teen decides to spend additional time on TikTok after the first reminder via the “Return for now” button, the company will show a second “harder to dismiss, full-screen prompt.”

Although teens can dismiss the reminders, they are not able to turn on push notifications at night.

TikTok says that in the coming weeks, it will also test adding meditation exercises to the wind-down reminder that encourage teen users to “Relax your mind,” “Inhale,” “Hold,” and “Exhale.”

In addition to the wind down reminders, TikTok is launching a feature that allows parents to set specific times the platform is available on their teen's devices. Via the “Family Pairing” hub, parents can select the “Time Away” feature to decide when their teen should take a break from the platform.

Parents can also set a recurring schedule to best suit their family life, for example during dinnertime or weekend activities.

Per the update, parents are now able to see who their teen is following or is followed by, as well as which accounts they have blocked.

Finally, TikTok says it will continue to use age-assurance technology to prevent children under 13 from using the app.

The ByteDance-owned company is also partnering with telecom company Telefonica “to understand how people can use age information from their phone provider to confirm their age.”