Short-video sharing platform TikTok has introduced new and improved features to its Family Pairing tool to enhance teenagers’ safety. With this update, parents will be able to maintain more transparent and effective control over their children’s online activity, while teenagers can develop healthier digital habits. One of the key additions is Time Away scheduling, which allows parents to set screen-free periods for specific times—such as during school hours, bedtime, or holidays. While teenagers can request extra screen time, the final decision will remain with parents. Another important update enables parents to view their child’s network activity, including who follows them, whom they follow, and which accounts they have blocked. This feature is expected to encourage open family discussions about online relationships and help parents support their children in building digital literacy skills. In addition, a new proactive reporting alert feature will be launched soon. This will allow teenagers who report a video to simultaneously notify a parent or a trusted adult—even if they are not using the Family Pairing feature. Alongside these updates, TikTok has also introduced a new feature called Wind Down, designed for users under the age of 16. If a teenager remains active on TikTok after 10:00 pm, a full-screen reminder with calming visuals and soothing sounds will appear, encouraging relaxation and time awareness. If usage continues, stronger reminders will follow. Initial feedback suggests that most teenagers are choosing to keep this feature switched on themselves, indicating a positive impact on screen-time habits. TikTok also plans to add guided meditation to this feature in the future, which may help improve sleep quality. TikTok said in a statement, “Safety has always been TikTok’s top priority. With these new updates to Family Pairing, we are placing powerful tools in the hands of families to help teenagers develop healthy habits in the digital world. TikTok remains committed to ensuring a safe and positive online environment.”