TikTok, the popular social media app that allows users to share short-form video content, announced Wednesday that it is rolling out new features intended to protect young users from seeing inappropriate or “mature” content.
One of the new features will allow users to curate what they see in their For You Feed by automatically filtering out “videos with words or hashtags they don’t want to see from their For You or Following feeds,” TikTok said in a blog post. The company said it has been testing different versions of the feature since last year.
Another change will be a new option to organize the content you see based on “thematic maturity.” TikTok is calling this filter “Content Levels” and says it is designed to help block audiences aged 13-17 from seeing “overtly mature themes.”
“We are always aiming to enhance the TikTok experience and improve our safety systems so our community can enjoy more of what they love,” the company said in a statement to CNET. “We understand there can be some content that isn’t comfortable for everyone, and the introduction of Content Levels will help to reduce the likelihood that teens are exposed to content that isn’t appropriate for them to see.”
TikTok said it will continue to develop and add more detailed filtering options to the new feature over the coming months.
In addition to concerns about the types of content it shows users, TikTok has recently come under scrutiny for its data security practices after a BuzzFeed News report highlighted that the data of US citizens may have been accessed by employees of TikTok’s parent company based in China.
