TikTok adds new parental controls, tools for creators

TikTok announced on Wednesday that it’s releasing a slew of new features, including enhanced parental controls, additional tools for creators, and a new interactive wellbeing feature. It also publicly launched Footnotes, its fact-checking system.

The social network is bringing new parental controls to Family Pairing, its feature that allows parents to link their accounts with their teen’s account to customize safety settings. Parents can now block specific accounts for their teen’s account. Blocked accounts can’t interact with the teen, and the teen won’t see the account’s content in their feed.

Parents will also now automatically be notified when their teen uploads a public video, story, or photo. TikTok says this will help parents stay informed about what their teen is posting without disrupting their creativity.

Parents now get more visibility into the privacy settings that their teen selects. For example, they can see if their teen (aged 16-17) has enabled downloads for their content, or if their following list is visible to others.

TikTok is also launching “Creator Care Mode,” which automatically filters all comments identified as offensive, inappropriate, or profane. It also filters comments from users whose comments are reported, disliked, or deleted.

TikTok says the feature uses AI to understand how the user is blocking and deleting the content. So, if a creator repeatedly deletes or reports certain types of comments, then those kinds of comments are less likely to appear in their comment section.

A new comment tool for TikTok Live will allow creators to block a word from their comments entirely. Plus, users who previously commented the phrase or who comment the phrase in the future will be muted for the creator’s chosen duration.

To help creators better manage messages, TikTok is launching a new professional inbox experience called the “Creator Inbox,” which includes “Unread” and “Starred” folders. Creators can also set up custom responses to address commonly asked questions, and they can create quick replies for sharing these responses with one tap.

TikTok is officially launching its own version of Instagram’s broadcast channels called “Creator Chat Room.” These spaces can be used to share exclusive updates, get feedback, or promote events and content.

Creator Chat Rooms are available to creators who are at least 18 years old, have at least 5,000 followers, and either a Subscription or Live Fan Club. Chats are capped at 300 people, and creators can have at least 20 different chats.

Creators will also get access to “Content Check Lite,” which is a new feature that allows users to check if their content is eligible to appear in the For You feed. This way, users can make any necessary changes before posting.

TikTok is also testing a broader Content Check functionality that will allow creators to check if their content adheres to the social network’s Community Guidelines before it goes live on platform.

The social network also announced that it’s launching a new feature called Well-being Missions, which are series of short quizzes and interactive flash cards to help people develop balanced digital habits. Users earn badges as they complete these missions.

TikTok says it’s building a new in-app dedicated digital wellbeing experience that will feature tools like breathing exercises, calming audio tracks, and screen time insights to help people recharge.