Despite the TikTok policy against adult content, Nudity on TikTok is a common issue, especially in challenges, where people ask to tear clothes, show body parts, or everything else the human mind can imagine. All this nudity can affect the physical and mental health of kids. So, if you are looking to find out more about this issue and how to control it for your kids, you are at the right blog!
What is TikTok?
“TikTok is a social media where creators can post their short videos ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes. Plus, it has a live streaming & challenge feature where creators can earn from tips.”
Titktok was released back in 2018 by a company named Byte Dance. In 2022, the platform was valued at $220 billion. Overall, they claim to have 1+ billion active users.
What are TikTok age restrictions?
According to TikTok‘s privacy policy, only kids 13 years or above are allowed to create their accounts. Then, Tiktok has default strict regulations for kids between 13 to 18 years of age;
13 ~ 15 age kids’ accounts are private by default so only approved followers can interact ( comment, like, share, etc. ).
- Direct messaging is unavailable
- Can’t send or receive gifts ( under 18 years old )
- Kids can’t do live streaming ( under 16 year old )
- Duet and stitch feature unavailable ( under 16 years old )
- Usage time limit of 60 minutes per day ( under 18 years old )
Does TikTok have 18+ content?
TikTok has a strict policy against those under 18+ content ( nudity, sex, etc. ). And it is regulated by AI & real human moderators at the backend. However, despite all this, TikTok is filled with people who want to get ranked by making seduction videos. Moreover, during live-streaming videos, the viewers ask for inappropriate stuff like getting partially naked, masturbating, inappropriate positions, etc.
What content is not allowed on TikTok?
TikTok has strict policies about every bad kind of content, including nudity, violence, and abuse. And if it gets detected or reported, they can instantly ban it from their platform. Some categories of prohibited content are;
- Scams
- Self-Harm and Suicide
- Harassment and Bullying
- Nudity and Sexual Content
- Misinformation/Deepfakes
- Violent and Graphic Content
- Dangerous Acts and Challenges
- Unauthorized Copyright content
- Child Sexual Exploitation/Abuse
- Illegal Activities ( drug use, human trafficking, and illegal trade )
- Prohibited Goods buying and selling ( drugs, firearms, and alcohol )
What are sensitive and mature themes on TikTok?
Users post tons of content under the category of education but most of them are sensitive and mature themed, especially for kids, such as;
Mental health issues
Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress form one of the most common discussions. Such talks aim at enlightening the audience while providing assistance but must be careful not to make mental illnesses appear good or encourage harmful actions.
Drug & Alcohol
Drug & Alcohol: Some users make educational videos on alcohol impacts, smoking hazards and drug effects. However, most of them promote them instead of telling their harmful effects and from trillions of videos, TikTok can’t detect and ban them.
Violence and trauma
Violence and trauma: It involves personal experiences or discussions of people regarding their abuse, violence, and traumas in life. Overall, it is good to be aware of society, but sometimes victims are not mentally stable and can misguide the audience ( teaching hopelessness or dark society ).
Sex & Gender-related stuff
Sex & Gender-related stuff: Sexual orientation, gender identity, and dating are other topics, including nudity that are widely discussed on TikTok. However, some people are against transgender, some even promote the change of gender, and some can misguide the audience about how to handle the relationship.
Body shame
Body shame: Fitness and exercise are good, but some people get so passionate that they bad mouth fat people, their eating disorders, and their fat bodies. So, fat people can become stressed and feel down. Moreover, some physical trainers even give useless advice to promote their channels.
Crime Stories
Crime Stories: Explored through this platform are real crime stories along with legal cases which however need to remain factual without making heroes out of criminals.
Politics
Politics is one popular topic on social media platforms like TikTok where people discuss political events, and social justice issues among others like human rights activism. However, there is a lot of hate speech, false information, or calls for violent actions that go on these videos.
Does TikTok have an adult-only section?
Back in 2022, there was viral news that TikTok was introducing an 18+ adult content section but until now it has not been officially released. However, TikTok has an age restriction policy, which can be used as a bypass to post and view adult content.
For example, when users with explicit content mark it 18+ and when adult viewers search in their feed, there is a high chance they get adult content. It may not be an adult section but this trick works.
How does TikTok continue to affect teens’ mental health?
TikTok is the fifth most used social media platform in the world and with so many users, it bounds to have negative content, which can have harmful effects, especially on teens, such as;
- Addiction and Time Management: The app’s addictive nature can lead to a lot of time spent in front of the screen, affecting productivity and day-to-day tasks.
- Body Image Issues: TikTok videos are often unrealistic, but could help to promote beauty standards. If teens are overexposed to this environment, teens may feel pressured to conform to these standards, leading to body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and eating disorders.
- Mental Health Impact: Being exposed to perfected content as well as trends contributes to things such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, especially for teenagers.
- Exposure to Inappropriate Content: Despite TikTok’s community guidelines, teens can still watch inappropriate or harmful content. This exposure can influence their behavior and thoughts negatively, leading to distress and confusion.
- Privacy Concerns: TikTok has been in the spotlight regarding data privacy with queries on how user data is gathered, saved, and potentially shared.
- Misinformation: Many Tiktokers make false information videos just to get some views and due to the large audience on TikTok, this news becomes viral throughout the country or even the world.
- Cyberbullying: TikTok acts like other social media platforms where users are bullied or harassed leading to poor mental health conditions.
- Comparison and Envy: Teens may compare their lives to the perfect lives of others portrayed on TikTok. This constant comparison can result in feelings of inadequacy, envy, and depression.
- Sleep Disruption: TikTok use especially prior to bedtime interferes with sleep patterns because of its content that stimulates the brain and exposure to blue light emissions.
- Social Pressure: This can impact positively or negatively one’s self-perception and actions since users may feel obligated to follow fashion or gain popularity through likes or comments.
Can you filter inappropriate content on TikTok?
Yes, there are many ways to filter inappropriate content on TikTok. For example;
Age restriction. With this feature, you can set the age of your kids below 18 and the TikTok will automatically filter out most of the sensitive theme content.
Restricted mode. As an adult, you can switch on this mode from the settings, and it will block most of the mature content from your feed.
If you somehow get inappropriate content like violent, political, or sex-related, you can long press the video and mark it as “Not interested”. This way TikTok will block that category from your feed.
Filter Video keywords. With this feature, you can add certain keywords like sex, fight, politics, nude, etc., and TikTok will remove that videos contain such words.
How to set up a restricted mode on TikTok?
Step 1. Open your TikTok > click on the Profile icon ( bottom right corner ).
Step 2. Then in the Profile menu, click on the three bar option ( top right corner ).
And then choose “Settings and Privacy” from the pop-up list.
Step 3. In the next window, scroll down and choose the “Content Preference” option. Finally choose the “Restricted mode” and switch it on.
From this “Content preference” settings, you can choose the option “Filter video keywords” and add restricted keywords you don’t wanna see. If your feed has too much bad content, you can click on the “Refresh” option and start new. Lastly, using the muted accounts option, you can add sensitive content accounts that you don’t wanna see anymore.
How to report inappropriate content on TikTok?
TikTok has strict policies against prohibited content and you can report a video using the following procedure;
Step 1. Open the video which you wanna report.
Step 2. Click on the share icon or long press on the video.
Step 3. Search for the “Report” option and click on it.
Step 4. Then select the reason why you wanna report from the given list.
How to detect inappropriate and nudity content on TikTok your teens have watched?
TikTok is very famous and no matter what parents can do, their kids will definitely use it. So, parents must think about how to save their kids rather than banning the app. First of all, parents can set the age below 18, switch to restricted mode, and add filter keywords in the app.
However, these settings are not 100% fool-proof, because your kids can change these options back to full mode or can make another account. So, the question is how parents can detect that. Well, fortunately, there are parental control apps like FlashGet Kids, which can monitor your kid’s TikTok 24/7 and send you an alert whenever your kid searches for illicit content.
Here’s how you can set up FlashGet Kids to detect inappropriate and nudity content on TikTok
Step 1. Download FlashGet kids on your parent’s phones. And then create an account. In the next window, you can get a 9-digit binding code & a link.
Step 2. On the kid’s phone, install the app using the Link and enter the binding code and allow all permissions.
Step 3. Now, on the parent’s phone, open the app, click on the device option ( middle option at the bottom ).
Step 4. Scroll down and enter the “Keyword detection” option and add the prohibited keywords like nude, sex, seduction, illicit, and other related keywords to detect nudity content on TikTok.
Step 5. That’s it. Now, whenever your kids type such a word on TikTok or any other app, you will get an instant alert, no matter where you are.
