Parents
Staying Safe on TikTok
Keeping your child safe online
Setting privacy and safety controls
TikTok allows your child to watch, create and share short videos. What they post, see and interact with can influence how they think and feel. Understanding how TikTok works, the risks involved and the controls available can help you guide your child towards a safer online experience.
How can TikTok's feed affect your child?
TikTok’s "For You” feed is personalised. It learns from what your child watches, shares, or skips, and shows more similar content that it thinks your child likes.
Even though TikTok has safety settings for younger users, your child may still see videos that:
Pressure them to look or act a certain way
Share misleading or extreme opinions
Encourage risky behaviour or unrealistic expectations
Keep them scrolling even when they are tired or stressed
If videos on TikTok start to affect your child’s mood or behaviour, it may be time to review their settings with them.
What are TikTok’s default protections for your child?
The minimum age to create a TikTok account in Singapore is 13 years old. However, some public content may be accessible without an account.
For younger users aged 13 to 17, some privacy and safety settings are turned on by default to provide extra protection.
Settings to encourage healthy screen habits
Push notifications are turned off at night
A reminder to close TikTok appears after a total of 60 minutes is spent on it each day
Settings to limit interactions with strangers
Accounts are set to private automatically
If your child is 13 to 15, only followers they follow back can comment on their posts and stories
If your child is 16 to 17, only their followers can comment on their posts and stories
Direct messages are turned off for users aged 13 to15
“TikTok LIVE” is not available
Filters to reduce inappropriate content
Mature content tagged as “audience controlled” are hidden
“TikTok Shop” is not available
How can you further protect your child on TikTok?
Even with default protections in place, you can add extra safeguards by reviewing settings together and agreeing on what safe usage looks like in your family.
Discuss what your child sees
Review content controls together so that your child views content that is suitable for them. Encourage your child to:
Tap “Not interested” on videos they do not want to see more of
Turn on "Restricted Mode” to hide sensitive content
Filter out or hide comments or keywords that bother them
Refresh their “For You” feed in settings
Go through interaction settings together
Together, review the personal data visible on your child’s account and manage who can interact with them. You and your child can decide on:
Support healthy screen habits
Find out how TikTok makes your child feel and agree on healthy boundaries.
Set daily screen time limits using TikTok’s "Screen Time Management” feature or on their device
Check in on how TikTok makes your child feel after long sessions
Encourage breaks if scrolling starts to feel overwhelming
Use “Family Pairing” to oversee your child’s activity on TikTok
"Family Pairing” allows you to link your TikTok account to your child’s account to manage content, privacy and wellbeing settings directly.
With “Family Pairing”, you can:
See how much time your child has spent on TikTok
Set your child’s daily screen time limits for TikTok
View their blocked accounts, following, and follower lists
Get an overview of your child’s privacy settings and manage some of these settings
Turn on “Restricted Mode” to hide sensitive content
Apply keyword filters to tailor the content in their feeds
Review your child’s content preferences for their feeds
What else can you do when something does not feel right?
Sometimes, certain content or interactions may cause your child to feel uncomfortable and unsafe.
When that happens, let your child know that:
They do not have to respond or explain themselves
Saving screenshots or links can help if you or your child wants to report harmful behaviour
Blocking or reporting is okay
Talking to you or another trusted adult can help them figure out next steps
Getting support early can prevent things from getting worse
Where can you learn more about TikTok’s safety tools for children?
Visit these resources to find out more about how to help your child stay safe on TikTok:
TikTok Support Centre: Get help with your child’s account, settings and security, and find answers to common questions
Guardian’s Guide: Explore tips and resources to help your child navigate TikTok safely
Well-being Guide: Assess your child’s digital wellbeing.
You can also explore other online safety resources on our website for more advice on keeping your child safe online.