Islamabad 4 August: TikTok has announced a major safety update that will notify parents whenever their children upload new videos, as part of its expanding suite of tools to address growing concerns over child safety on social media.
The new feature enhances the app’s “Family Pairing” system, allowing parents greater insight into their children’s activity on the platform. In addition to upload alerts, parents will now be able to view the themes and topics shaping their child’s feed and access detailed privacy settings.
The move follows sustained global criticism over the mental health impact of social media on young users, including TikTok’s handling of potentially harmful content. The company has also introduced new well-being features for creators, such as improved comment filtering and the option to mute words, emojis, or even users during livestreams.
READ MORE:TikTok releases Q1 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report
TikTok and other platforms have come under increased regulatory scrutiny. The platform was fined £1.8 million last year by Ofcom for failing to comply with content moderation requests.
Social Media Use Among Children (2025 Estimates)
| Age Group | % Using Social Media Daily | Most Used Platform | Average Daily Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9–11 years | 39% | YouTube | 1.5 hours |
| 12–14 years | 78% | TikTok | 2.3 hours |
| 15–17 years | 91% | TikTok/Instagram | 3.1 hours |
| Parental Awareness | 52% | — | — |
| Accounts Linked via Family Pairing | 18% | TikTok | — |
Sources: Ofcom, Common Sense Media, Internal Platform Reports
Experts have welcomed TikTok’s update but say more industry-wide transparency and enforcement are needed. “This is a positive step, but we need consistent action across all platforms,” said a UK-based digital safety advocate.
With over 1 billion users worldwide, TikTok’s approach to content moderation and parental controls could serve as a model—or a warning—for others in the industry.
