London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

TikTok sets 60-minute daily screen time limit for under-18s

TikTok sets 60-minute daily screen time limit for under-18s

TikTok is setting a 60-minute daily screen time limit for users who are aged under 18.

If young people hit the new limit, they will have to enter a passcode to continue to use the service that day.

But they will be able to opt out of the new measure, which TikTok says will be rolled out "in the coming weeks".

The video app, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, said it is introducing the feature to help people "stay in control" of their use.

TikTok said the new limit comes after it brought in a prompt last year to encourage teens to manage their screen time. It said this helped "increase the use of our screen time tools by 234%".

Users of the platform have to be at least 13, and, as part of this new feature, anyone under the age of 18 will receive a weekly notification with a "recap of their screen time".


No 'right amount' of screen time


Users affected will receive their new time limit passcode on a screen in their app as the changes take effect.

Anyone who opts out of the new 60-minute restriction, but goes on to use the app for 100 minutes a day, will receive a prompt from TikTok to set their own screen time controls.

Parents of children using the Family Pairing option on the app will also be able to set screen time limits, as well as access a dashboard which would give a breakdown of app usage.

Cormac Keenan, head of trust and safety at TikTok, said the company had worked with researchers in developing the new limits.

"While there's no collectively endorsed position on the 'right' amount of screen time, or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we consulted the current academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital in choosing this limit," he said.

Critics of the video app welcomed the screen time limit, but described it as the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to TikTok's response to young users' exposure to the platform.


'Crack cocaine of algorithms'


Imran Ahmed is chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which recently published research showing TikTok's algorithm "bombards" teenagers with harmful content.

"TikTok has won the race for the hearts and minds of 14 to 24-year-olds in the United States and the United Kingdom," he said.

"It is the crack cocaine of algorithms. It is the most addictive, it is the most dangerous and the one that needs to be dealt with most urgently."

Mr Ahmed told the BBC his centre's research at the end of last year found that within minutes of opening a TikTok account, a 13-year-old girl user was receiving eating disorder and self-harm content in her feed.

He called on the platform to focus its efforts not just on curbing screen time, but also to "clean up" feeds of harmful content to make it a "safe environment for children".

It comes as TikTok faces renewed controversy over its relationship with the Chinese government and protection of user data.

Earlier this week, the Canadian government became the latest to ban the app from government devices, following similar moves in the United States.

In September 2021, TikTok said it had hit more than one billion active monthly users, making it one of the biggest social sites in the world.

It does not release a demographic breakdown of its users, but is viewed by social media marketers and advertisers as being a key platform to reach people under the age of 34.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
×