Social Platforms Feel Policy Pressure on Teen Privacy Controls

Tech companies including TikTok, Alphabet Inc., and Facebook Inc. are tightening privacy controls for teenagers as social media platforms feel policy pressure over protections for younger users.

Short-video platform TikTok, which is popular among teens, is changing privacy settings for users ages 13 to 17 to give them more control over who they share videos and messages with, the company announced in a blog post.

TikTok already makes accounts belonging to users under age 16 private by default, meaning only someone that they approve as a follower can view their videos. Features like messaging directly with other TikTok users are reserved for users who are 16 and older. The new controls for teens ages 13 to 17 build on existing measures by adding privacy prompts for video posts and downloads, along with a new default for direct messages.

TikTok’s measures come on the heels of similar moves to make teen accounts on Alphabet’s YouTube and Facebook’s Instagram more private by default.

Tech companies are likely acting in response to new design standards for children’s privacy in the U.K. and a legislative proposal targeting teen privacy in the U.S., according to Josh Golin, executive director of children’s advocacy group Fairplay.

The U.K.'s so-called age appropriate design code directs online services to build in privacy protections by default and to explain settings in ways that children would understand. Enforcement of the code begins in September.

“You can clearly see the hand of the age appropriate design code in all three of these announcements,” Golin said of the recent moves by TikTok, Google, and Facebook.

U.S. lawmakers are also showing interest in teen privacy that could lead to new rules for companies to follow. Legislation proposed in Congress earlier this year would require consent for collecting data from teenagers...

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/social-platforms-feel-policy-pressure-on-teen-privacy-controls