TikTok and the Family Online Safety Institute are collaborating to help families better manage screen time and their children’s digital footprints. Brian Klem, a TikTok creator from Franklin, Indiana, is part of the initiative, raising awareness of four key safety features on the platform.

Klem, known for his family-oriented content, explained the importance of the new safety tools. “One of the great things they have is the family pairing tool, which allows a parent to connect their account to their teenager’s account,” Klem said. The feature enables parents to limit keywords, monitor screen time, and track online activity.

As a father of children ranging in age from 11 to 24, Klem emphasized the need for open conversations about online safety. He noted the Teen Safety Center as a helpful resource for starting and continuing these discussions.

Klem, who began using TikTok during the 2020 lockdown, didn’t initially foresee the platform’s role in his family’s daily life. “I had no idea this is where we’d be, but as TikTok has grown, it’s basically like a search engine now,” he said, adding that it’s become essential for content creators to ensure online safety.

For parents unsure of navigating social media, Klem advises posting content you enjoy and not worrying about the response. “Keep posting consistently, and your content will find a niche somewhere,” he said.

What’s new:

A Digital Safety Partnership For Families developed in partnership with the Family Online Safety Institute that families can customize and use to create positive digital boundaries together, including when and where they use their devices or reviewing an app’s rules before downloading it.

Refreshed editions of our pre-existing Guardian’s Guide and Teen Safety Center to help families utilize our tools and controls. Our Teen Safety Center has been updated with advice and feedback from our global Youth Council to include more visual and interactive content.

What are existing tools:

Family pairing, default age-appropriate settings for teens under 16, keyword filtering, and comment privacy settings, are not new safety features. Family Pairing has been available for users since 2020.