Mourning parents asked TikTok for age verification, got maturity ratings instead [Updated]
Enlarge (credit: Sol de Zuasnabar Brebbia | Moment)
(Update, 3:15 pm ET: A TikTok spokesperson responded with more detail on how content levels will be assigned. Once a video is uploaded, TikTok will review videos to ensure they meet Community Guidelines. After the video passes that review and becomes visible on TikTok, "it might be sent to our Trust and Safety colleagues for moderation" if there are "increases in popularity or when a community member reports the video." During moderation, a video might be removed for violating TikTok terms of use, or the moderator might choose to "assign a Content Level to the video."
Addressing concerns about users under the age of 13 on TikTok, the spokesperson also described ways that TikTok has already taken action to prevent underage users from accessing the platform: "While most people understand the importance of being truthful about their age, some do not provide the correct information, which is a challenge many online services face. That's why our commitment to enforcing our minimum age requirements does not end at the age gate, and we take a number of additional approaches to identify and remove suspected underage account holders. We have implemented methods and processes to detect and remove underage users, which have led to approximately 20 million accounts globally being removed in Q1 2022." TikTok also expects that "Content Levels will provide an added level of protection for those community members who truthfully indicate that they are under 18.")
Original story: TikTok's safety features recently became the focus of a lawsuit filed by parents who claim that the app's addictive design is responsible for the deaths of at least seven children, six of whom were too young to be on TikTok. Those parents suggested that TikTok take steps to protect young users, urging the platform to add an age verification process to restrict content or terminate the accounts of child users under the age of 13-the minimum age required to join TikTok.
Read 16 remaining paragraphs | Comments