TikTok is making the app safer for teens

Technically, anyone under the age of 18 can use apps like TikTok whether they're above the age of 12 years old or not. Teens, especially those on the younger side, are at a higher risk of faling prey to unsafe social media use -- particularly on video-based apps such as TikTok.

That's why the app is trying to make safety a priority when it comes to its teenage users. And it wants to involve parents and guardians as much as possible to, as much as possible, create a digital environment that is enriching but safe for their children.

From cyberbullying to dangerous trends and more, TikTok has the potential to be an unhealthy place to spend time digitally for anyone if not used properly. That's beyond the basic dangers of spending too much time on social media in general, which can prove harmful to anyone's mental health. But it's hard enough to be a teenager in the real world. Being a teen on social media further complicates things.

But no one is saying teens shouldn't be allowed to exist on social media at all. In an effort to make navigating the app safer for this particular demographic, TikTok has released a Digital Safety Partnership template for parents/guardians and teens to work on together. This is meant to serve as a prompt for discussion and agreement for these parties, a sort of "contract" for setting digital social media boundaries for safe use of platforms such as TikTok.

This is meant to encourage parents and their children to have open and delibrate conversations about how social media can be used to benefit rather than harm, and how to interact with apps like TikTok in a way that keeps everyone as safe as possible.

Social media can serve as a way for teens to connect with people through their content, and that can be a good thing -- but only when it's done in a safe and smart manner.