ByteDance, the owner of TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin, has announced a new feature within Douyin called “Youth Mode.” From now on, users under 14 years old who are registered under their real names will be able to use the app for no more than 40 minutes. Teens whose age is less than 14 years old will also not be able to access the app at all at night from 10 PM to 6 AM, the company said in a statement.
For now, it is unclear how useful the new feature will be since many young users are not using their real names in the app. That is why in an announcement of a new Youth Mode, the company asked parents to help their children log in under their real name and with the correct date of birth.
Those who already have an account under their real name will be automatically switched to the Youth Mode without the possibility to switch to the regular mode on their own.
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ByteDance says that in the new mode, it will highlight and support authors who create videos about science, art, and literature. Thus, kids will be exposed to more content about popular science experiments, museum exhibitions, and literature. In this way, ByteDance hopes that more children will become interested in culture overall.
The Chinese version of TikTok, Doyuin, was launched in 2016. Its international version was launched a year later.
China has begun to pay increased attention to the mental and physical health of minors. Back in August, the Chinese authorities reduced the time that minors can spend playing video games. Now Children under 18 can play video games from 8 PM to 9 PM on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and on holidays.