The Challenge
The effects of social media on teen mental health have come under scrutiny recently. This year, numerous teens told NBC News that they believed social media was partially to blame for their friends' deteriorating mental health in reaction to a Centres for Disease Control and Prevention report regarding an increase in unhappiness among young girls.
Legislators continue to scrutinize TikTok and ByteDance, its Chinese-owned parent business. TikTok began a charm offensive in March after politicians demanded its shutdown due to worries over national security. The platform is safe and secure for teens and other users, and it won't be accessible by or manipulated by the Chinese government, CEO Shou Zi Chew assured Congress.
The TikTok Solution
TikTok has announced the formation of a Global Youth Council that will be entrusted with developing safety solutions that are more effective for its younger users, especially teens.
TikTok stated that the Council, which will be made up of teenagers, will give the company feedback from younger users about their experiences with TikTok and assist it in avoiding developing safety tools that are "ineffective or inadequate."
Julie de Bailliencourt, TikTok's global head of product policy, said the business expected to launch the council in the upcoming months but did not provide a precise date.
"It's still very early stages, but, again, our goal is that we keep designing really effective products and policies that protect young people but also enable them to find a voice," said de Bailliencourt. We must pay close attention to what young people have to say about this, too.
TikTok's Approach and Implementation Plan
According to de Bailliencourt, the council was the idea of Cormac Keenan, the head of trust and safety at TikTok, who made the suggestion a few months ago.
This is a fantastic concept," she exclaimed. "It took a lot of effort to get here. However, we believe it will significantly alter our strategy.
TikTok intends to talk with the youth council about topics like wellbeing, digital literacy, and safety in addition to providing them with tools they may find beneficial. The council is going to have representation and participation from many nations.
De Bailliencourt stated that TikTok is working with specialists on how to best protect the teenagers on the council and that some of the details will come together in the upcoming weeks.
According to TikTok, it has created features in the past with the input of teenagers, including a "tips for caregivers" part that can be found in the platform's family pairing feature.
Using the new feature of family pairing, parents may choose which words and hashtags their kids see online, and teens can see whatever terms their parents have chosen to block.
De Bailliencourt declared, "Our job in this space is never over. The youth council, she added, is intended to be just another method for the corporation to enhance the experiences of the app's youngest users.
When it comes to establishing safety online, she said, "it's a race to the top."
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