TikTok has launched new digital well-being features and usage badges to improve user mental health and engagement with screen time management tools.
The social media platform introduced a redesigned screen time management page. This page features an affirmation journal with over 120 positive prompts, a sound generator offering calming sounds such as rain or ocean waves, and a breathing exercise module. Content from creators discussing screen time limits, parental tools, and feed customization will also be present.
New badges will reward users, particularly teenagers, for adhering to usage limits. TikTok’s review of academic literature on digital well-being indicated that excessively restrictive tools can negatively affect teens.
Users earn badges by completing missions. The “sleep hours” mission requires avoiding platform use at night. Utilizing new meditation tools also qualifies for a badge. Users who set and maintain a daily screen time limit will receive a badge. Additional badges are available for viewing the weekly screen time report and inviting others to complete missions.
Early testing revealed increased visits to the new well-being screen compared to the previous screen time menu, with the affirmation journal being the most popular tool. TikTok plans to display a link to these tools when users are active at night or reach their daily screen time limit.
In July, TikTok introduced new parental control tools, enabling guardians to block accounts and receive notifications when teens upload public videos or stories. Other tech companies, including Meta, YouTube, OpenAI, and Discord, have also added new safety tools in the past month, focusing on teen safety.
