With a seemingly “endless” stream of videos, TikTok is one of the world’s most used apps. The algorithms that tailor the feed to millions of users are often blamed for the hours flying by inside the app. But now TikTok is introducing a time limit of one hour of use per day for everyone under 18, according to tek.no. At least “almost”. In a press release, the company behind the app writes: – Over the next few weeks, every single account belonging to users under 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time restriction. Interruptions and reminders about sleep The new restrictions should help young people control the time they spend on the app, according to the company itself. The new update will also provide regular reminders about how much time you spend on the app, regardless of age. But after the one-hour limit is reached, the user will be asked to enter a password to continue using the app. Users under the age of 13 must have a guardian enter a password to continue for another 30 minutes. Young users, or their parents, will soon have to enter a password when they have been inside the app for a certain amount of time. Photo: BO AMSTRUP / AFP Nordic head of TikTok, Liv Sandberg tells tek.no that the new restrictions will act as a tool. – The initiative helps both Norway’s young people and their parents to reflect on the time they spend on the platform and provides tools to make the decisions that feel right for them. Previously, TikTok turned off push notifications from the app after 9pm for younger users. An 18-year age limit has also been introduced to stream directly. In the coming weeks, push notifications will encourage users to turn off TikTok and go to sleep, for users of all ages. – Small consequences in practice The fact that TikTok introduces restrictions on the app is not necessarily a measure that will reduce screen time. – To me, it sounds like a very simple way of presenting oneself ethically, but which in practice does not have such major consequences. Lena Lindgren is a media scientist and author. She has written the book “Ekko – an essay on algorithms and desire”. Media expert Lene Lindgren believes that the restrictions do not have much value. She points to “gamification” as one of the reasons why she is skeptical of the new measures. – Gamification is the whole point of the algorithm structure. Your brain is triggered and gets dopamine through gaming. Passwords and changing your age is easy. Lindgren points out that the new restrictions can act as “challenges” in the middle of scrolling, and that these obstacles also trigger the dopamine and reward system. – It does not seem like a tool, but like a rhetoric about freedom of choice, when the platform is still thundering away with addictive infrastructure. On the question of whether the new measures can have the intended effect at all, the answer is clear: – The whole business model is addictive, so unless they deliberately prepare for a decrease in profits, I don’t know how well it will work. According to TikTok, the changes will be in place within a few weeks. news has tried to get hold of TikTok in the Nordics for a comment, but we have not received a response to our inquiries.
ttn-69
TikTok introduces a time limit for users under the age of 18 – news Culture and entertainment
