It’s the social network that hypnotizes teenagers. Having become essential since the confinements, the Chinese TikTok has carved out a place of choice in the online social life of the youngest, to the point of dethroning Instagram or Snapchat and attracting…. a barrage of criticism. Addiction, screen time, cyberbullying, personal data or misinformation… a rain of criticism has been falling for several months on the platform with a billion active users, including around twenty million in France.
To reassure its core target, 13-18 year olds, and their often overwhelmed families, the company presented several initiatives on Tuesday. In particular, a security guide has been published and is obviously accompanied by short, typical TikTok-style explanation videos. The application has, for example, a Family Connection mode where the adult can link his account with that of his teenager to define parameters, such as the limited sending of private messages or restricting the visible content. “We also tested and approved during discussion groups with parents the creation of time limits for consultation and the sending of notifications so that the user becomes aware of his uses”, adds Sarah Khemis, responsible for institutional relations and public affairs of TikTok France. “We do not live on the planet of Care Bears, we are aware of these problems as well as that of the algorithmic confinement that our users sometimes experience”, she assures.
“83% of parents do not know what is happening on their children’s social networks”, points out Samuel Comblez, psychologist and director of operations at Association e-Enfance/3018, one of TikTok’s partners to report harmful content and behavior. And according to him, “teenagers are also takers, more than one might think, of a binding framework”.
Criticized for being a potential source of cyberbullying, the platform also highlights its investments, in particular “filtering of insulting comments by our moderation algorithms” as well as a rule reminder system. As for viral disinformation, TikTok announced that it has hired and trained specialized moderators to judge the context, as well as a partnership with Agence France Presse to verify the facts published.
This transparency operation by the subsidiary of the Chinese giant ByteDance ultimately only anticipates the implementation next year of the European digital services regulation (DSA) which will regulate and clean up the platforms. With a compliance by the summer under penalty of serious fines.