MOSCOW - Chinese video-sharing app TikTok said on Wednesday that it would introduce a daily screen time limit for users under the age of 18 to help teenagers manage their time on the platform more efficiently.
"In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit," the company said in a statement, Sputnik reported.
When these users reach the set limit, they will be prompted to enter a passcode to continue watching videos on the platform, requiring them "to make an active decision to extend that time," according to the statement. If teenagers find the 60-minute default limit too short, they could set the time themselves to spend over 100 minutes daily there, the company added.
People under 13 will also have a 60-minute screen time limit on TikTok, and their parents or guardians will have to set or enter a passcode allowing them to enable 30 minutes of additional time.
Launched by Chinese company ByteDance in 2018, TikTok has since become a leader in the short video app segment and has turned into one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide. In December of last year, several US governors prohibited state officials from using TikTok on their devices and at state premises. The European Union's institutions followed suit earlier this year. TikTok called these measures groundless and politically motivated - BERNAMA