Popular social media platform TikTok, has taken a significant step towards creating a safer online community by refreshing its Community Guidelines.
The platform has demonstrated a commitment to transparency by incorporating feedback from users and collaborating with over 100 expert organizations worldwide.
With the aim of keeping its users safe and informed, TikTok has introduced several features, including a Transparency Centre and regular Community Guidelines Enforcement reports.
Enhanced transparency through Community Guidelines refresh
TikTok's Community Guidelines are the cornerstone of the platform, ensuring that everyone adheres to the same rules and standards.
The recent refresh of these guidelines offers users more transparency about the safety policies and enforcement mechanisms.
Through this update, TikTok aims to keep users well-informed about the rules that govern their online behavior.
Quarterly Community Guidelines Enforcement reports
To further maintain transparency, TikTok releases quarterly Community Guidelines Enforcement reports on its Transparency Centre.
The reports provide detailed insights into the actions taken to tackle violative content on the platform.
In the most recent report, published in March 2023, TikTok removed 85.68 million videos globally, representing 0.6% of all videos uploaded.
Additionally, over 280,000 violating videos were removed in Somalia, with 98.7% of them being identified and taken down proactively before user reports
Collaboration with regulators
TikTok acknowledges that safety work cannot be accomplished in isolation. Collaboration between digital platforms and local regulators is crucial to ensuring the safety of users online.
General Manager Mustafa Y. Sheik of the National Communications Authority (NCA) in Somalia emphasizes the vital role that national regulators play in keeping platforms safe for all users.
He commends TikTok for their #SaferTogether initiatives, educational programs, and the Community Guidelines refresh
Safety measures for teens
TikTok takes the safety of its young users seriously. The platform restricts access to certain features for users under the age of 18, such as Direct Messaging and going LIVE.
To encourage positive digital habits, TikTok has implemented a default 60-minute daily screen time limit for accounts aged under 18.
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Additionally, Family Pairing enables parents or guardians to link their accounts with their teens' accounts and customize safety and privacy settings, including public or private account settings, comment controls, and daily screen time.