8 lesser-known TikTok features: We bet you didn’t know these features (Express photo: Sneha Saha)
Of late TikTok has been in the limelight but not for very good reasons. Due to the anti-China sentiment, many users are shifting to so-called made-in-India TikTok rivals app such as Mitron, Roposo, among others. But replacing the TikTok app with millions of users is difficult for a new entrant.
TikTok has millions of users creating and sharing videos on a daily basis. There are many users who joined the platform during the lockdown. Most users are aware of all the basic features that TikTok offers but there are several other features many don’t know about.
We have listed some of those TikTok features here.
* Age gate: TikTok only allows users aged 13 years and above to login and create an account on the platform. This is to ensure that underage users do not use the platform.
* Screen time management: The platform allows users to select if they want to spend 40 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 120 minutes per day on the app. The feature is password protected, hence if users reach their screen time limit they will need to enter a password to continue to use TikTok.
* Restricted mode: This is a customized mode designed to protect minors on the platform. This is an optional account setting that will limit the display of content that may not be appropriate for minors. This feature is also password-protected (valid for 30 days) and powered by machine learning algorithms. If users want to watch unfiltered content, they need to enter a password.
* In-app suicide prevention: Users will be redirected to an in-app suicide resource page that offers tips and key contacts to help address any user issues.
* Risk warning tag: The tag is added to videos that contain risks or may not be appropriate for all users.
* Comment filter feature: This feature allows users to self-define words in Hindi and English from the comments section. They can alter this list at any given point in time.
* Family Pairing: This in-app feature that can link and unlink TikTok accounts and let parents set safety and privacy settings to their teen’s account and once enabled, they will be able to control Digital Wellbeing features such as Screen Time Management, Restricted Mode, and Direct Messages settings.
* In-app reporting: The feature allows users to report any objectionable content or behavior for TikTok to action upon in real-time