Blog

Blog

TikTok & Instagram move to improve safety for kids and prevent laws requiring them to do so.

Are Parents & Principals about to get social media age verification?

TikTok campaign to highlight the platform’s safety features to tactics and parents is now up and running.

The campaign details the social media platform’s “safety by design” approach as well as provides advice to TikTokers and their families about how to access these tools. Speaker bookings

Parents talks TikTok, TikTok safety children, Is TikTok safe for kids
TikTok reacts to parents' concerns about safety online. 

According to Cormac Keenan, TikTok’s head of trust and safety: “At TikTok, we believe people should be able to express themselves creatively and be entertained in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment. This campaign is a first for us in Ireland – and we hope it will increase awareness around our built-in safety and well-being tools, and encourage TikTokers and their families to check out our Guardian’s Guide, which provides practical tips on how to keep teens safe on the platform

Booking for Business, Schools, Parents E-Safety talk!

We'd love to hear from you

What steps are being taken 

  • TikTok 13-16 year accounts are set to private
  • TikTok is not for kids
  • No DMs for 13-15-year-olds
  • Instagram brings in facial recognition
  • Facial recognition will determine the user's age
  • Neither company is enforcing age verification

 

Instagram age estimation, age appropriate content instagram, parental control
Facebook company reacts to concerns about Instagram and child safety, a major parental concern

Instagram introduces age verification tools for users

Instagram now has the technology to verify users' age across the EU and the UK. If you edit your date of birth on Instagram from under 18 to over 18 will have to age-verify with ID or record a video selfie, which will use facial recognition technology.

Internet safety campaigners want age-verification technology to be mandatory and protect children from inappropriate and potentially harmful content.

The facial technology will provide an age estimate back to Instagram. They say they can only estimate the age of the face and NOT identify the person.

Instagram & YOTI, the provider says no data is retained and both companies delete data on completion of the age estimation (not verification)

Facial Age estimation accuracy according to the provider

  • 2.96 years for 6-7-year-olds.
  • 1.52 years for 13-19-year-olds.
  • 1.56 years for 6-12-year-olds.

Users are not individually identifiable. 
Helps organisations to meet Children’s Codes or Age Appropriate Design Codes.

Articles of Interest

Articles, Links & Connections from the Internet Safety Talks site you might find interesting

  1. What is Sexting
  2. Help, I just saw a naked picture of my teen on her phone
  3. Teenagers need a good Online Reputation 
  4. Can the Police search your Phone?

 

 

Comments are closed for this post, but if you have spotted an error or have additional info that you think should be in this post, feel free to contact us.

Subscribe For Free

Get the latest updates in your email box automatically.

Search

Archive