TikTok is a global platform offering endless entertainment through short, engaging videos for adults and children alike. Whether you’re scrolling through your feed or creating content, staying secure on the app is crucial.
As you may have heard, there is an ongoing discussion that the U.S. may ban TIkTok due to privacy concerns, so now is the perfect time to review your security settings. TikTok may seem like a harmless platform, but it actually has access to your location, device, and private information that may be leaked or accessed by third parties.
Hence, knowing how to protect yourself and your family is so important, and you can do it by safeguarding your data and privacy. Keep reading to find out practical tips to ensure your TikTok experience is fun and free from prying eyes.
How to Stay Safe on TikTok: TikTok Security Tips for Adults and Children
Is TikTok safe? This question has been popping up more often recently, and it is all due to rising concerns about how much information the social media platform knows about its users.
When you register on the platform, you willingly accept the terms and conditions that grant TikTok access to your location (in some cases, even your exact location), your browsing searches, what device you use, and more.
It’s no wonder many people review their account settings and are more cautious of what they watch, post, and search for. But settings are not the only solution to staying safe on TikTok–there are more things you can do:
TikTok Tips for Adults
⚙️Check Your Account Settings
The first thing you should look into is your account settings. If you want more privacy on the platform, switching to a private setting will ensure strangers won’t have access to your profile and the videos you post.
A private account allows only your followers to see and interact with you, which means you can also choose who can access your profile.
💬Only Message with Friends
If you’re a TikTok content creator with a public account, it’s essential to stay cautious when interacting with strangers to avoid hacking risks. While it’s easy to trust links from friends, clicking on URLs sent by unknown users could expose you to phishing scams.
To protect yourself, it’s best to avoid accepting messages from strangers. Remember, not everyone on the platform has good intentions, and a little caution can go a long way in keeping your account secure.
🙋Disable Account Suggestion Feature
Another way to secure your account from scams and hacks is to disable the account suggestion feature. TikTok can recommend your account to friends and family and also to random users.
To do that, go to your settings and turn off the “Suggest Your Account to Others” feature. This way, your profile won’t be offered to strangers, and users who you are not connected to won’t be able to search for you.
🔑Use a Strong Password
When registering for any platform, you’re often required to create a password with at least one letter, number, and symbol. Some forms go further, requiring uppercase letters and a minimum of 8 characters. While it may seem inconvenient, this practice is important for your security.
A strong password significantly reduces the risk of hackers gaining access to your account. If your account gets hacked, hackers can target your friends and family by contacting them or sending malicious links to steal private information and money or to spread viruses.
🔒Enable Two-Factor Authentication
A strong password is a must for securing your TikTok account, but enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) proved an added level of protection.
With 2FA, you confirm your login through a unique, one-time-use code sent to your phone or email. This code expires after a short time, making unauthorized access nearly impossible. Additionally, TikTok will notify you if someone attempts to log into your account, giving you the opportunity to act quickly if it’s not you.
🔗Never Click on Unknown Links
Clicking on a link is one of the easiest ways to get hacked or infect your device with a virus. Whether the link comes from a friend or a cybercriminal, clicking can immediately download malware like a trojan or direct you to a fake website mimicking one you trust.
In the first case, having reliable antivirus software can help remove malicious files. However, many people fall victim to phishing websites that look real but are simply well-designed to steal your login credentials.
TikTok Tips for Children
👪Use Family Pairing
Family Pairing is a TikTok feature that lets parents and caregivers link their accounts to their teens’ accounts. By doing so, adults can limit exposure to content and set controls such as a screen time limit, a randomized passcode after the teen reaches the platform’s allowed time, mute notifications, and more.
In addition to these controls, adults can exclude certain keywords and hashtags from the child’s feed. The Family Pairing feature truly helps parents and caregivers safeguard their teenagers from inappropriate content. Moreover, adults can disable Direct Messages, which are available to 16-year-olds and older.
⚙️Review Account Settings
Teenagers prefer TikTok over other social media platforms because it helps them express their emotions, find like-minded people, and post videos of themselves. Parents, on the other hand, want to protect their children from strangers, and this is exactly what they can do in the settings.
Among many features that can be disabled in TikTok, parents can also activate the Restrictive Mode. This mode hides content that may not be suitable for all ages, protecting young ones from offensive or inappropriate videos.
🧘Activate Digital Wellbeing
You can always talk to your kids about how much time they can spend on TikTok but the platform has one particular feature that will help you and your children monitor the time spent scrolling.
The Digital Wellbeing feature tracks time spent on the platform and even filters content in the feed. To activate it, go to your settings, click on Digital Wellbeing, and turn on the daily screen time limit. Your child will be notified when they reach the limit.
🕵️Have a Talk About Connecting with Strangers
Talking to your children about the risks of connecting with strangers on TikTok is crucial for their safety. TikTok can be a fun and creative platform, but it isn’t without disadvantages. Make sure to remind your kids that not everyone online has good intentions. Strangers may pose as friends, use fake profiles, or send messages that seem harmless but could lead to scams, phishing, or even exploitation.
🙅Set Limits of What Can Be Shared
Children can be naive and share sensitive information with strangers without thinking twice. Hence, it’s your responsibility to teach your teens what information cannot be shared, such as their full name, home address, phone number, and more.
It’s equally important to remind your kids what content is appropriate to share and explain that most videos can remain on the internet even after being deleted from the original source.
So, Is It Safe to Use TikTok?
When your children find out about TikTok, it’s important to properly introduce it to them by exploring the app together. Often, children don’t understand the dangers of an entertainment platform and may be misled by unknown users. Hence, talking to them about the dangers of connecting with strangers on TikTok or any other platform will keep your kids safe on the internet.
As for adults who occasionally scroll the feed or post fun videos of themselves, there is no particular threat to their safety. However, you shouldn’t forget about possible scams, malicious links, or misinformation present on TikTok. Sharing too much personal information is also not recommended.
Final Words
If you want your whole family to enjoy their free time watching lighthearted videos on TikTok, you should ensure each member is aware of potential dangers and knows what to do to stay safe on the platform.
When it comes to growing your TikTok account, you should also be extra careful and avoid clicking on suspicious links or sharing private information with your followers. The easiest and time-efficient way to establish a strong following is by buying followers from Bulkoid.
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