TikTok’s New Ownership: A Call for Greater Transparency

TikTok is now largely owned by non-Chinese investors, with an American majority on its board. This change provides an opportunity for them to demonstrate commitment to parents by enhancing transparency and ensuring better protections for minors.

For many American teens, TikTok is an integral part of their daily lives. Yet, the intricacies of its operations and control remain somewhat elusive. The new stakeholders, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX—each holding a 15% stake—must prioritize the protection of children from overly personalized algorithms and enforce strict security measures for user accounts.

The numbers are significant; around 200 million Americans are active on TikTok, and roughly 63% of American teens engage with the platform. The reality is, the app can be a double-edged sword.

It’s concerning that teens are exposed to highly personalized content on their For You pages. One moment, a user might see a political post or a diet video, and suddenly find themselves spiraling into extreme ideologies or unhealthy obsessions with their body image.

At that age, teens are still figuring out their identities and beliefs. So, having an algorithm that continuously reinforces certain viewpoints can narrow their perspective and focus too heavily on their insecurities.

To its credit, TikTok maintains a minimum age of 13 for users. They’ve implemented several parental controls for years, such as time limits, content filters, and communication restrictions. Yet, there’s more that can be done.

Any content posted by minors aged under 18 shouldn’t be visible to unfamiliar adults. There’s no justification for exposing such posts to strangers.

While a teen’s account is private by default, it’s frustrating that they can easily switch it to public. Really, there’s no good reason for minors to have public profiles.

Currently, teens have a default usage limit of 60 minutes, but this can be turned off easily. Isn’t that a bit concerning?

It might be wise to consider reducing that limit. Reports suggest young users of Douyin, the Chinese counterpart to TikTok, are restricted to just 40 minutes a day.

Two years ago, TikTok faced backlash after it became known that Douyin offered many protections for minors, while American teens found themselves in a more chaotic environment. The U.S. version has been rightfully criticized for promoting inappropriate content and detrimental information regarding mental health.

There used to be a segment on the app called “Skinnytok” until they clamped down on it. A few years back, the FDA even had to intervene when dangerous challenges were trending, like cooking chicken in NyQuil. There have even been reports of users developing tic-like disorders from their time on the platform.

Of course, not all of this should fall on TikTok. Teenagers sometimes make poor decisions, and combating harmful trends can feel like playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. But in contrast, the Chinese version has been more effective at implementing controls and safeguarding young users.

With TikTok operating in countries deemed adversarial, there’s a lingering worry about potential access to American youths’ personal data. It’s crucial to address that anxiety.

A spokesperson from TikTok’s new joint venture reassured that “the safety of our teens will continue to be our top priority,” mentioning over 50 pre-set safety features.

They recognize the uniqueness of each teen and family and pledge to maintain user-friendly safety tools for parents to tailor the app’s experience for their children.

However, it’s not just parents who need to hold TikTok accountable. As the platform navigates this transition, it must embrace transparency at every level.

Users deserve clarity regarding what data is collected and how algorithms function. While there are certainly flaws in platforms like X, there’s merit in Musk’s push for algorithm transparency.

There shouldn’t be any lingering concerns about privacy, ban suspicions, or questions about hidden agendas.

For the benefit of children, teens, parents, and even the broader public, this new leadership should consider inviting an independent transparency report.

It’s essential to be upfront. If anything within the app needs change, let it be known. Transparency is key to rebuilding the trust of a skeptical audience.