TikTok finally adds group chat functionality with safety barriers for teens

TikTok fans, your pleas have been heard. The social video juggernaut today announced that group chat, one of the platform’s most requested features, will finally be introduced in a new update. Group Chat will allow users to share their favorite videos, latest trends, and greatest memes with their friends without switching apps.

However, like direct messaging on TikTok, this group chat functionality won’t be accessible to everyone. 

Group chats are unavailable to TikTok users under the age of 15, and additional safety measures have been implemented to protect users under 18 engaging in “shared viewing experience” of group chats that allows users to watch and react together in real time.

Users can only be added to a group chat by a friend – that’s someone they follow who also follows them. And for teens under the age of 18, joining a group chat via a link is only possible if the chat includes a mutual friend. In such cases, teens must actively choose to join the group rather than being added automatically, and any teen creating a chat must review and approve all new additions.

Safety vs social connectivity

This move by TikTok isn’t entirely altruistic. While it will certainly save users the few seconds it takes to share a link in an external chat app, it also reduces the need to leave the TikTok app – keeping users more engaged with its algorithm.

But for a company that has faced controversy since its inception and is currently being sued by the US Justice Department for “widespread violations of children’s privacy laws”, it’s encouraging to see TikTok taking steps to enhance safety for younger users.

TikTok already has a minimum age requirement of 13, and users under 16 are restricted from riskier features like live streaming and direct messaging. However, these safeguards are arguably undermined by the ease with which a 13-year-old can lie about their age and therefore gain access to restricted content. This is why additional safety features for all users – like requiring mutual friendships before adding someone to a group chat – are so crucial.

While these measures might make the process more cumbersome for adult users, as TikTok continues to expand, keeping user safety at the front of mind will be key to maintaining trust – and keeping on the right side of lawmakers.

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