PTC Applauds TikTok Move to Limit Children’s Use to 1 Hour/Day

LOS ANGELES (March 1, 2023) – The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) said TikTok should be commended for advancing child protection by limiting time on the app to one hour daily for children and teens under age 18.

“TikTok’s bold move to limit its use to one hour a day for children and teens under 18 is unprecedented for a social media platform to implement, and yet one that parents can stand behind. Kudos to TikTok for trying to be part of the solution to curb social media use for children and teens,” said Melissa Henson, vice president of the Parents Television and Media Council.

“While good news, even with a daily hour limit, children can still access harmful content on the app and parents aren’t always aware. Our own research revealed that Hollywood is marketing teen-targeted TV shows with explicit content to young teens through social media sites like TikTok that are popular with 13-17-year-olds – effectively doing an end-run around parents.

“To further ensure children are protected online, Apple and Google should increase TikTok’s age rating on the Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store to at least ‘17+,’ something 15 state attorneys general have also called for.

“Our children cannot be at the mercy of Big Tech, and we need tools and stronger protections like TikTok’s screen time limits to help.”