TikTok to block private messaging for users under 16 years of age

Chinese video-sharing site TikTok is a popular application among the youngsters and teenagers. The makers of the app have banned the users under the age of 16 from private messaging. Until now, the users could private message each other only when they followed each other. A survey by OfCom a regulator in UK revealed that the platform as used by about 13 percent of the users between the age of 12 to 15 percent in 2019.The new measure means that users under the age of 16 will no longer be able to private message. However, the critics have opined that this is not going to have any effect as the children will continue to lie about their age online.

Children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to communicate privately under any circumstances. Tiktok has informed that the users who have been affected will be receiving an in-app notification and they will no longer be able to send private messages from April 30, 2020 onwards. The limit for the uses will be set on the basis of the date of birth that has been entered by the users when they have created the account. But no verification takes place upon the account creation and is purely based on trust.

Talking about other social networking apps, It was in 2018 when Facebook had decided to make WhatsApp available only to people over the age of 16 across the European Union and will be in line with its General Data Protection Regulation. According to social media consultant, Matt Navarra, the majority of the users on TikTok are teenagers and the restriction is going to affect the majority of them. Navarra has also appreciated the recent measure as a bold move by a platform which has such a huge user base.

The new measure has also been taken to protect the vulnerable children against the online predators.

Photo Credits: Linetoday