What is TikTok? Is it safe?

TikTok is one of the most popular video apps globally. Competing with social media and video giants like Instagram and YouTube. With just about endless content and a seriously impressive (and concerning) algorithm, TikTok provides a platform that is hard to put down. From 5-second funny clips to 10-minute deep dives, this app has it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. 

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Owned and operated by ByteDance (who also own CapCut), there have been numerous bans aimed at removing TikTok from US app stores for security and privacy. At the beginning of 2025, it was removed from US app stores for a few days and has since returned.

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App Store Description: “TikTok is a global video community. We make it easy for you to watch awesome short videos, AND you can also make your own videos by capturing those funny and memorable moments to share with the world. Spice up your videos with our special effects filters, fun stickers, and so much more. Life’s moving fast, so make every second count.” (Apple App Store)

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• Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
• Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
• Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity
• Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
• Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
• (These are the same descriptions Apple uses for all social media apps)

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How Does TikTok Work?

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Like any social media, simply download the app, create an account, and begin watching videos. Right away, during the account creation process, TikTok will ask you to select a few topics you are interested in. This fuels its algorithm to send you content related to those topics. 

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Then, it will ask you to enable notifications and share your contacts. This aims to connect you with people you know, and to receive notifications for messages, friend requests, and more. 

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The most important piece of information you’ll give to TikTok is the user’s birthday. It’s almost impossible to change an incorrect birthday (this article explains how to submit a support ticket to request a birthday change). All users ages 13-15 (no one under 13 is supposed to use the app) automatically have the following features disabled (as of January 2021):

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• No direct messages (DMs)
• Automatic private accounts
• Comments are limited to “Friends” or “No one”
• No videos can be remixed or downloaded

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For users ages 16-17, the default video settings are “Friends” for remixing videos and downloads are defaulted to “off,” but users can change these settings.

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Once you’re all set up, you’ll be thrown into your “For You Page” which is a mix of current, trending content, and content TikTok thinks you’ll like.

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TikTok’s Algorithm is Aggressive

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TikTok’s algorithm is shockingly smart. It’s almost scary how quickly it can profile its users with such tiny bits of micro-interaction. WSJ investigated the highly secretive TikTok algorithm.

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In general, social media algorithms pay attention to how you use the app to further feed you content that it thinks you will watch, based on your activity.

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TikTok’s algorithm seems to do this much more aggressively compared to other apps. Every second watched, video replayed, liked, shared, and reposted seems to affect your unique For You Page. Even if that’s a minor watching a video about depression, anxiety, suicide, anorexia and eating disorders (known as “#ana” or “#ed’ on TikTok), violence, horror, or sexual content. A strong majority of their feed then becomes the content they’ve watched most. And this happens very quickly.

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This rabbit hole-like effect fuels addiction and has severely harmed kids, teens, and young adults. Lawsuits have been filed on the basis that TikTok is designed to be addictive and, therefore, harmful to children. 

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Here are some examples of TikTok causing harm to children:

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• TikTok Loses Bid to Dismiss Lawsuit Alleging Its 'Addictive Design' Exploits Kids
• >50% TikTok Videos about Mental Health Contain Misinformation
• TikTok as a Force for Good? TikTok Knowningly Harms Children
• TikTok is Harming Children at an Industrial Scale
• Montana Attorney General Sues TikTok for Harmful Effects on Children

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Unfortunately, this list could go on and on.

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How to Set Up TikTok’s Parental Controls:

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TikTok allows parents to “pair” their device with their child’s device to control privacy, searching, content, and more, from the parent’s device. 

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The following information can be found on TikTok’s page about Family Pairing:

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How to Set Up Family Pairing on TikTok

To link parent and teen accounts:
1. In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu ☰ button at the top, then select Settings and privacy.
3. Tap Family Pairing.
4. Tap Continue.
5. Tap Parent or Teen, then tap Next.
6. Follow the steps to link the accounts.

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How to Manage Family Pairing Settings on TikTok

To manage Family Pairing settings:
1. In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu ☰ button at the top, then select Settings and privacy.
3. Tap Family Pairing.
4. Select the account you want to manage, then update the settings as needed.

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How to Manage Restricted Mode on TikTok

To turn Restricted Mode on or off:
1. In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu ☰ button at the top, then select Settings and privacy.
3. Tap Content preferences.
4. Tap Restricted Mode.
5. Follow the steps in the app to set or enter a passcode, then turn Restricted Mode on or off. If this is your first time turning on Restricted Mode, you'll need to tap Turn on before you can set a passcode.

A few things to know about Restricted Mode:

•  If you have multiple accounts, you must turn Restricted Mode on for each account separately.
•  If you're a parent or guardian, you can turn Restricted Mode on for your teen's account through Family Pairing.

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Phew, that’s a lot! But if set up correctly, this will make TikTok a safer experience. Now, if your child is under 16 but used an incorrect birthday to bypass controls, then you can follow these steps:

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1. Switch to a private account – this will prevent complete strangers from contacting your child.
2. Change the “Allow others to find me” toggle – an additional layer of privacy to prevent your child’s account from showing up in search results.
3. Opt out of personalized data – this prevents user data from being gathered. And for a company being investigated for privacy violations that’s also based in China, it’s a good idea.
4. Change all SAFETY settings to “friends” – the default safety setting for “who can post comments,” “who can duet with you,” “who can react to your videos” is “Everyone. Although making the account private should ensure strangers can’t find your child, these settings make it so that your child can’t invite strangers in.
5. Enable Time Management and Restricted Mode – you can find these under “Digital Wellbeing” under “Privacy and safety.” These help with screen time and blocking mature content – both require a 4-digit passcode, which means parents can set them.

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But, please note, the Restricted Mode settings still allow mature content through. We received this message from a concerned mom:

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“I see that restricted mode is on, and I’ve set all the privacy/safety settings, but the videos are all inappropriate so far. During the test run, the first video we watched had questionable content and used super foul language, the second video that we watched was a play on ejaculation, and the third was an ugly video with more foul language, at which point I decided that was enough! Do you know if that is just the way it is or if maybe I missed something in setting it up? I’m thinking if it’s just impossible to restrict every “f-bomb” and all the sexually suggestive content…”

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Bonus: Check “following” and “followers” from time to time –  just a good idea for any child who isn’t at least 16 to ensure they’re sticking to your rules.

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What Else Do Parents Need to Know about TikTok?

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Don’t be Fooled by the Parental Controls 

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Plenty of profane, explicit, suggestive, and toxic content makes its way through the parental controls. They’re a step in the right direction, but don’t believe that TikTok is anything close to a clean experience.

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TikTok Has Direct Messaging (DMs) 

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Most social platforms do – including Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And most of the time it’s harmless. Many people send each other videos and share clips through TikTok’s messaging. 

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But remember – wherever the kids are is where the predators are. And since you can link with other social platforms, it’s easy for random people on TikTok to find your other accounts. For public accounts, there are always going to be trolls. And men looking for pretty, young girls. And sextortion schemers looking for gullible, young boys. Parents, just be really open and honest with your kids about the dangers of being online in public ways. 

Here’s an example of sextortion cases that began over TikTok, and then moved to other platforms: Sextortion on TikTok.

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Consider taking a look at our Prevention and Response Guide on Sextortion.

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Is there Pornographic Content in TikTok? 

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Yes. There’s always porn on sites where people can upload content. Restricted Mode removes much of the porn. But there is sexualized content everywhere, and TikTok is fully aware. Here’s a recent article about TikTok profiting from sexual videos of minors.

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Also note, there is a hidden doorway to a Google search through the Help Center in the “Privacy and Settings.” This is why it’s important on an iPhone to set “Limit Adult Websites” in Screen Time. For Android, your best bet is to enable controls with Family Link, or lock in Safe Search with a DNS block like CleanBrowsing.

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TikTok has Online Shopping 

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Users can link items they are reviewing in a video, and viewers can purchase them directly from TikTok. There is also a dedicated “Shop” tab under the search bar where users can find specific products they’re looking for. The TikTok Shop offers products similar to items on Temu, which is essentially a cheaper version of Amazon.

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TikTok Fuels Dangerous Challenges and Trends

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Some have been deadly. A few are funny. Some are ridiculous. Others are reckless (licking toilet seats) and a few have actually caused children to die (the blackout challenge). In the race for views, under-developed brains do really under-developed things, without considering potential risks. 

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PARENTS – Although the outcomes from some of these challenges can be horrible, we shouldn’t be surprised. Our teen brains would have done the exact same thing.

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TikTok Videos Can Feature Explicit Songs

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Many TikTok videos will have a song attached for the audio. There are a lot of explicit songs found on TikTok with no true way to control this.

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TikTok Collects a TON of User Data 

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There’s a reason for the ongoing attempts to ban the platform from US App Stores. Take a look at the types of information it collects from users (per its Privacy Page):

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“Information You Provide

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When you create an account, upload content, contact us directly, or otherwise use the Platform, you may provide some or all of the following information:

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• Account and profile information, such as name, age, username, password, language, email, phone number, social media account information, and profile image.
• User-generated content, including comments, photographs, livestreams, audio recordings, videos, text, hashtags, and virtual item videos that you choose to create with or upload to the Platform (“User Content”) and the associated metadata, such as when, where, and by whom the content was created. Even if you are not a user, information about you may appear in User Content created or published by users on the Platform. When you create User Content, we may upload or import it to the Platform before you save or post the User Content (also known as pre-uploading), for example, in order to recommend audio options, generate captions, and provide other personalized recommendations. If you apply an effect to your User Content, we may collect a version of your User Content that does not include the effect.
• Messages, which include information you provide when you compose, send, or receive messages through the Platform’s messaging functionalities. They include messages you send through our chat functionality when communicating with sellers who sell goods to you, and your use of virtual assistants when purchasing items through the Platform. That information includes the content of the message and information about the message, such as when it was sent, received, or read, and message participants. Please be aware that messages you choose to send to other users of the Platform will be accessible by those users and that we are not responsible for the manner in which those users use or share the messages.
• Information, including text, images, and videos, found in your device’s clipboard, with your permission. For example, if you choose to initiate information sharing with a third-party platform, or choose to paste content from the clipboard onto the Platform, we access this information stored in your clipboard in order to fulfill your request.
• Purchase information, including payment card numbers or other third-party payment information (such as PayPal) where required for the purpose of payment, and billing and shipping address. We also collect information that is required for extended warranty purposes and your transaction and purchase history on or through the Platform.
• Your phone and social network contacts, with your permission. If you choose to find other users through your phone contacts, we will access and collect information such as names, phone numbers, and email addresses, and match that information against existing users of the Platform. If you choose to find other users through your social network contacts, we will collect your public profile information as well as names and profiles of your social network contacts.
• Your choices and communication preferences.
• Information to verify an account such as proof of identity or age. 
• Information in correspondence you send to us, including when you contact us for support.
• Information you share through surveys or your participation in challenges, research, promotions, marketing campaigns, events, or contests such as your gender, age, likeness, and preferences.”

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I think people would be surprised to know this list is actually quite consistent with most social media platforms. And that was only a portion of their privacy policy. We believe it’s helpful to remind everyone that nothing is truly private online.

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The Bottom Line – Is TikTok Safe for Kids?

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Although the parental controls above are good,, the TikTok algorithm is so powerful, shaping itself into the most addictive form of content for each user. It can be quite destructive to the mental health and time management of teens.

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In our opinion, TikTok is an age 16+ app when you weigh all of the features and risks above.

What if I have more questions? How can I stay up to date?

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Two actions you can take!

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1. Subscribe to our tech trends newsletter, the PYE Download. About every 3 weeks, we’ll share what’s new, what the PYE team is up to, and a message from Chris.
2. Ask your questions in our private parent community called The Table! It’s not another Facebook group. No ads, no algorithms, no asterisks. Just honest, critical conversations and deep learning! For parents who want to “go slow” together. Become a member today!

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