TikTok was the most downloaded social media app in the world in 2020 and is particularly popular in children. In fact, young users aged ten to nineteen made up 25% of TikTok’s users in 2021, the largest share of all age groups. Whilst the app is a great platform to use fun filters that change your appearance, it is important to consider your child’s data security and safety when using the app.

Cyber security experts at VPNOverview.com decided to investigate just how safe your child’s data is in the hands of these apps and goes on to give privacy and safety advice. TikTok’s privacy policy was studied to reveal what types of data they collect from ‘regular users’ as well as ‘younger users’, aged 12 and below.

What is the ‘Younger Users’ version of TikTok?

For children under 13, TikTok has created a ‘younger users’ version of the app to comply with Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that limits what data the app can collect from them. It is not a redesign of the app made for kids, but rather an absence of features from the regular version.

Less data is collected from TikTok’s younger users compared to users aged 13 and over. Younger users also cannot publicly share personal information, including videos or profile details.

Still, the app collects a significant amount of information regardless. According to TikTok’s privacy policy, it collects information such as: name, birth date, username, password, the IP address of your child’s device, browser details and location.

It is important to note that children can set up a regular TikTok account simply by changing their birth date. If this is the case, your child could be at risk of much more data being collected – detailed below is the difference in data collection between a regular users account and a younger users account.

What data does TikTok collect?

By default, TikTok collects a lot of data about user activity. They share this data with third parties, like their business partners, service providers, and advertisers, among others. The following is what TikTok collects about its users on both the regular app and the ‘Younger Users’ version, according to the company’s privacy policy.

INFORMATION COLLECTED BY TIKTOK

REGULAR USERS
(AGED 13+)

YOUNGER USERS
(AGED 12 AND BELOW)

Login information

Username and password

Username and password

Personal information

Date of birth, proof of identity or age*

Date of birth

Contact information

Email and/or telephone number

Email and/or telephone number

Profile information

Profile photo, profile video, and information disclosed on the user’s profile

—

Device information

IP address, user agent, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purposes, model of your device, the device system, network type, device IDs, screen resolution and operating system, app and file names and types, keystroke patterns or rhythms, battery state, audio settings, and connected audio devices

Device ID, IP address, web browser type, and version

Location

Location information based on SIM card and/or IP address, precise location data (such as GPS)*

Country-level location

App activity

Preferences, list of followers, and list of following

Video watches, time in the app, and general usage data

User content

Photographs, audios, and videos the user uploads or creates, comments and livestreams made by the user, clipboard data*

—

Contacts

Phone contact list, Facebook contact list

—

In-app purchases

Purchases made, date and time when purchases were made, amount spent

—

Payment information

Payment card numbers or third-party payment information (such as PayPal)

—

How to set up a safe TikTok account for kids

Sign up with a unique username or email. It is not recommended to sign up using another app, like Instagram or Google. The most secure option is to use a username or email that doesn’t relate to your child’s identity in anyway (no real names). It’s a good idea to create an email just for social media in case the account gets hacked, which is known to happen on other social media like Facebook.
Have your child choose interests or skip this option.
The app will ask if it can send notifications
The app will ask you if it can sync device contacts. Say no to this because it gives TikTok access to details about your device and contacts.
Set a profile picture. Encourage your child or teen to use an avatar instead of a selfie or other photograph, since this picture will be visible to everyone, whether their account is public or private.
Set up the privacy security settings. To find these settings, go to the homepage and find the Profile icon in the bottom right corner. Next, click on the three lines at the top right corner and click on “Privacy.” From that menu, you’ll be able to change several security settings. Make sure your child has a private account by clicking the slider until it turns green, this will make sure that only approved users can follow their account and watch videos.