TikTok has announced significant updates to its Family Pairing feature, aimed at giving parents greater control and transparency while encouraging healthier digital habits among teenagers.

These enhancements reflect TikTok’s ongoing commitment to online safety and family well-being.

As part of these updates, TikTok has introduced new parental controls and wellness tools, designed to support families in guiding their teens toward mindful screen time usage and responsible online behaviour.

Parents can now set custom screen-free periods—such as during school hours, bedtime, or weekends. While teens can request extra time, final approval rests with parents.

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They will be able to see who their teen follows, who follows them, and which accounts they’ve blocked—facilitating open discussions about online interactions.

Soon, when a teen reports content violating TikTok’s community guidelines, they will also have the option to notify a trusted adult, even if Family Pairing isn’t activated.

With these changes, Family Pairing now offers over 15 customizable safety, privacy, and wellness settings, empowering parents to shape their teens’ TikTok experience.

Encouraging Healthy Habits for Teens

To further support young users, TikTok is introducing a Wind-Down Feature for users under 16. If they remain active after 10 PM, their For You feed will display calming music and full-screen prompts encouraging them to log off.

If teens continue scrolling, the platform will show more persistent reminders, guiding them toward better digital habits. Initial results show that most teens choose to keep these reminders on, underlining their effectiveness. In coming weeks, TikTok plans to test guided meditation exercises within this feature, based on studies linking mindfulness to improved sleep quality.

A TikTok spokesperson said, “Safety is at the heart of everything we do at TikTok. These new updates are part of our ongoing efforts to empower families with tools that promote healthy digital behaviors. By enhancing Family Pairing, strengthening industry partnerships, and introducing wellness features, we’re committed to ensuring young users have a safe and positive online environment to explore, create, and connect.”

Strengthening Industry-Wide Online Safety Standards

TikTok is actively working with global leaders to strengthen age verification and digital safety standards. The platform is committed to enforcing its age policies and continues to use technologies like machine learning to prevent under-13 users from accessing the platform.

In partnership with Telefónica, TikTok is exploring mobile-based age verification and protective measures. Additionally, TikTok remains a key contributor to multi-stakeholder dialogues on age assurance, collaborating with organizations like the Center for Information Policy Leadership and WeProtect Global Alliance to establish best practices across digital platforms.