The popular social network TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance (formerly known as musical.ly), was launched in China in September 2016, and in less than five years, TikTok is already considered a dangerous tool for minors.

Just three years after its launch, in 2019, it became the third most downloaded non-gaming application in the world (behind only Messenger and WhatsApp). Last year, due to changes in consumption habits caused by the COVID-19 crisis, TikTok became the most downloaded application in the world and the preferred social video platform for most young people.

TikTok: Children’s Favorite Network

TikTok is a network that dominates among minors, with the bulk of its users being teenagers between 13 and 19 years old, making it the social network with the youngest user profile: 33% of users are under 18 years old (Bloomberg, 2021)

Is TikTok Really a Dangerous Tool for Minors and Adolescents?

From the outset, we can say that TikTok is a social network like any other, but its opacity regarding the amount of data it collects, the fact that the main profile of those who use this social network are minors, and that the type of content shared involves overexposure of minors, make it a real ticking time bomb.

In these five years of existence, the social network has become enormously popular not only for its great success among younger audiences, but also for more troubling issues related to privacy (or the lack thereof), violations of user security, and suspicions that TikTokers’ personal data is shared with the Chinese Government.

Let us address more specifically the most important risks of this social network and why TikTok represents a dangerous tool for minors

The Main Dangers of TikTok for Minors

1. It Collects Far More Data Than It Actually Needs to Function.

When a user downloads TikTok, they must immediately accept a set of permissions to allow the application to function. This is normal, and all apps also request these permissions. These are the most relevant permissions of the application:

• Access the camera (and take photos/videos), the microphone (and record sound), the device’s WiFi connection, and the complete contact list on the device.
• Determine if Internet is available and access the Network.
• Keep the device on and start automatically when the device restarts.
• Obtain detailed information about the user’s location using GPS and other running applications.
• Access and save to device storage, install/remove shortcuts, access the flashlight (turn it off and on), and request installation of additional packages.

As you can see, there is an extraordinary amount of personal data being collected, and most are obvious for an audiovisual content social network, but two are concerning: GPS geolocation, especially because TikTok videos do not display location information obviously, and data storage, since TikTok does not specify where it stores its data.

2. Be Careful with Privacy.

By default, all accounts created initially on TikTok are public. It is very important to properly configure the account of any app you download to prevent strangers from seeing what you do. And it is especially essential to do this on TikTok. Our recommendation is to consider setting it as “private.” This way, just like on Instagram, only followers you have accepted will be able to see your content.

3. TikTok: A Magnet for Groomers, Cyberharassers, and Pedophiles

The main danger of TikTok regarding the processing of minors’ data lies in how the messaging system within the social network allows children to come into contact with adults without requiring prior authorization from parents or guardians, in addition to live Internet broadcasts that anyone can access and whose content may be explicit.

Therefore, once again within TikTok’s Privacy/Comments menu, you can:

• Filter by keywords: and thus filter aggressive or abusive comments both manually and automatically.
• Allow only friends to comment on your videos
• Activate the spam filter.

4. Confusion Between Reality and Fiction

Consuming social networks at such an early age can lead them to situations where they confuse reality with fiction. We share a real case that we reported at the time, the case of the Alleged Kidnapping of 5 members of PRIVÉ CREW:

5. The Constant Danger of Viral Challenges

This is one of the platform’s star content types and one of the most dangerous. Every week there are new challenges, most of which are fun choreography challenges. However, there are two types of challenges that parents should be alert to:

• “Bravery” challenges: this type of challenge usually follows a similar modus operandi: an anonymous person proposes a terror challenge to their targets. In this way, first, they contact them through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok and then assign them “bravery” missions. What does this mean? It means they include risks to their lives. The latest game of this nature cost the life of a 10-year-old girl in Italy. In this case, the proposed game was for children to block their breathing until they fainted.
• Challenges that denigrate other people based on their appearance and encourage mockery: this is what happened with the death of actor Cameron Boyce, who died from an epileptic seizure. Some users found it funny to create the Cameron Boyce Challenge in which they fake an epileptic seizure and then die. Also notable was the complaint by activist Lizzie Velasquez, who asked people to stop using her face in a viral TikTok challenge

What Can We Do as Parents to Protect Our Children from the Dangers of TikTok?

1. Configure the social network’s privacy settings together with your child and review the different security and privacy aspects one by one, some already reviewed earlier in this article, so they become aware.
2. Activate two-step verification: the platform sends you a one-time access code via SMS and will save you if someone steals your password. It is advisable that under no circumstances should you link your TikTok account with Facebook.
3. As parents, even if you do not use it, download the TikTok app yourself: it is very important to be in the spaces where teenagers are, and teenagers are on TikTok. This does not mean that as parents you should spy on your children. But it is important that you familiarize yourself with the tool: see firsthand what type of content is shared on the network and its dynamics. Familiarize yourself with the social network, so you can give useful advice to your children and warn them if you detect any content (dangerous viral challenges…) that may pose a threat.
4. Use the Family Pairing tool: this is a setting you can make within the privacy menu that allows you to sync your TikTok account with your children’s, disable direct messages (TikTok already disables by default all direct messages directed to users under 16 years old), activate Restricted Mode, and set time limits. To do this, open TikTok on both phones.

In conclusion, it is not only about this social network and whether TikTok is a dangerous tool for minors; it is important that parents should be aware of the dangers associated with any social network or application their children use.