Tech

TikTok announces feature that will limit teens screen time

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

A number of brand-new features have been unveiled by TikTok with the goal of lowering screen time and enhancing the well-being of its younger users.

Every TikTok user under the age of 18 will soon automatically be subject to a daily screen time restriction of 60 minutes, reported The Verge. Teenagers who exceed this cap are required to input a passcode in order to continue watching. Users can completely turn off the feature, but if they do and use TikTok for more than 100 minutes each day, they’ll be prompted to set a new cap.

After the first month of testing, TikTok reports that these reminders raised the utilisation of its screen time control tools by 234%. Teens will also receive a weekly inbox message that summarises their screen time, making it possible for younger users to be aware of how much time they spend using the app and forcing them to actively choose to exceed the advised screen time.

On determining how long the time restriction should be, TikTok claims it consulted specialists from the Digital Wellbeing Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and recent academic research.

“While there’s no collectively-endorsed position on how much screen time is ‘too much’, or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we recognise that teens typically require extra support as they start to explore the online world independently,” said Cormac Keenan, Head of Trust and Safety at TikTok, in a statement.

Children under the age of 13 who use “TikTok for Younger Users” will also be subject to the 60-minute time limit. In this case, if the screen time limit is surpassed, a parent or guardian must set and enter an existing passcode to permit 30 minutes of additional watch time on the account.

Four new features are also being added to Family Pairing, TikTok’s adjustable parental restrictions that allow a parent or guardian to attach their TikTok account to a younger user’s account. Applying custom limitations enables constraints to be changed according to the day of the week (or more widely extended over school holidays).

TikTok’s screen time dashboard, which displays how much time a child has spent using the app, how frequently it was opened, and a breakdown of how much time was spent during the day and night, is also accessible to family pairing users. Parents will soon be able to schedule the muting of app notifications on their children’s accounts using a new “Mute Notifications” setting. Users between the ages of 13 and 15 already have push notifications muted automatically at 9 pm, and those between the ages of 16 and 17 have push notifications turned off at 10 PM.

Last but not least, TikTok claims to be working on new content filters that would let parents filter out videos that contain phrases or hashtags they don’t want their kids to see. With “parents, youth, and civil society organisations,” the business will design the feature during the ensuing weeks.

In addition to Family Pairing, TikTok announced that some of these settings will be broadly accessible to all accounts “soon,” enabling any user to schedule muted notifications and create unique screen time limits for each day of the week. Users can choose a time to be reminded to close the app and go to bed by using the new sleep reminder feature.

The precise release date for the new features has not been specified by TikTok.

Latest News

Schools will not be open on Saturday.

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

In all educational institutions under federal management, the Saturday holiday has been formally eliminated by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

According to a notification released on Friday, the decision was made to make up for the disruptions to academic activities caused by recent school closures. The ruling is set to take effect tomorrow, November 30, and will last until February 1, 2025.

The school holiday on Saturday

This implies that, as of tomorrow, Saturday will be regarded as a complete working day in educational institutions under the control of the FDE.

According to FDE authorities, the decision was made because extended holidays and unplanned closures had a major negative impact on students’ education. To guarantee that students receive the necessary instructional time and finish their syllabus on time, the notification read.

Latest News

Users of WhatsApp respond to the new animated “Typing” bubble

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

Many people have expressed their displeasure with the new function, which has caused a great deal of anger. The upgrade was reportedly released with little notice.

According to details, this update, which users claim was implemented with minimal prior notice, has led to considerable frustration among many, who perceive the new feature as distracting and unnecessary.

The well-known “typing” indicator, previously displayed at the top of conversations, has now been replaced by a moving chat bubble positioned below the most recent message. Despite the seemingly insignificant change, several people have already voiced their displeasure.

A flood of complaints has been posted on social media sites, with many calling the new feature “annoying” and “unhelpful” and drawing comparisons to the typing animation in Apple’s iMessage. According to one user, the animation “deliberately induces anxiety.”

Notwithstanding the criticism, the update—which represents yet another redesign of the app—is expected to be made available to all WhatsApp users soon, though not all users are persuaded that it improves the overall experience.

Prior to this, WhatsApp declared that it would be releasing a new feature in the near future that would allow users to add a message to any sent item, enhancing the app’s functionality.

Latest News

WhatsApp is launching a feature that allows users to personalize material that is forwarded.

Published

5 days ago

Farwa

The upcoming update from WhatsApp is expected to bring a novel feature that will increase the app’s adaptability by allowing users to add a message to any sent material.

Users of the Meta-owned messaging platform will soon be able to add a new message after a forwarded message thanks to an impending update, according to WABetaInfo.

Beta testers can currently test the most recent WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.24.25.3, which is accessible through the Google Play Store, even though this upgrade is expected to be released in the future.

Previously, media assets like pictures, videos, and GIFs were the only ones with this feature, regardless of whether they had a caption.

It is now possible for users to add a customized message to any kind of forwarded content, including documents, links, and text messages.

With little effort, users may now easily add necessary context or explanations to the transmitted content thanks to this improvement.

Notably, users can also add a new message to plain text messages or other content that was not forwarded in the first place.

For example, a user can ensure clarity in communication by adding a personalized comment or an explanation while forwarding a text message to a group chat with a contact.

This functionality comes in very handy when a forwarded message needs more information.

When a user transmits a link to a news article, for instance, they may now contribute their views or a summary right away, doing away with the need for a separate follow-up message.

Similarly, users can add instructions or more details to a text message before forwarding it, which improves clarity and reduces the possibility of miscommunication.