Parent’s Guide to TikTok

Is TikTok safe? How does it work? Can I do a duet with my child? Here’s all you need to know about this popular singing and music sharing application.

With so many social networks to follow, it’s no wonder your child’s obsession with the TikTok app leaves you with more questions than certainties. So what is it exactly?

TikTok – Real Short Videos is a free social networking application that allows you to watch, create, and share videos, often with a soundtrack of major music hits, directly from your phone. It was originally called musical.ly in the United States, but changed its name when the two applications merged in August 2018. With over 100 million users, TikTok is incredibly popular, due in part to the combination of features that kids love.

As with the Dubsmash lip-sync application, users can watch and record videos of themselves singing about popular songs and sound clips. As they did in the now-defunct Vine, children can create and share short videos, ranging from fun to serious. And just like YouTube, TikTok is an interactive world of videos that allows you to connect with friends and fans through “likes”, comments and even duets.

TikTok – Real Short Videos even gives birth to its own celebrities. Almost overnight, musical sensations like Baby Ariel and Jacob Sartorius have become famous on the Internet, especially among children and teenagers, but with so much information available, it can be difficult for parents to know if it’s really safe. While the TikTok videos are mostly harmless and creative, there are real concerns about children using the application.

As with any social network, you should use the privacy settings to limit the amount of information you or your children share. Kids can post things without checking or editing them first and there have even been reports of online predators using the app to target younger users. In addition, in 2019 TikTok paid millions to federal regulators as part of a settlement after they were accused of violating privacy laws protecting children.

What is TikTok – Real Short Videos?

TikTok is a social network for sharing user-generated videos, mainly from people who sing along to popular songs or simply move their lips as if they were singing the song. Originally, this app was called musical.ly and users can create and upload their own videos where they sing, dance or just talk. They can also explore and interact with other users’ content, which includes a wide range of themes, songs and styles. Videos can be grouped using “hashtags”, which are usually the names of challenges or “memes”.
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How safe is TikTok?

Using any social network can be risky, but children can use the application safely with adult supervision (and a private account). When you sign up for TikTok, your account is public by default, which means that anyone can watch your videos, send you direct messages, and use your location information. Parents should be sure to enable all privacy settings on the accounts their children use, so that only people they know can interact with their videos or send them messages in the application. To do this, they can create a private account or change the settings for comments, duos, feedback, and messages to “Friends” instead of “Everyone. You can also disable all those functions.
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How does TikTok work?

TikTok users register with a phone number, email address, Facebook or Instagram. Once logged in, you can search for popular creators, categories (comedy, animals, sports) and hashtags to find videos. You can also use your phone contacts or your social networkers to find friends who are already in the application. Many kids in TikTok like to create videos, but many people don’t post anything, they just use the app to find and follow the content creators.

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