FL Attorney General Questions Safety Of TikTok App

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Friday she is seeking information from the chief executive officer of TikTok on how the China-based social media company ensures the privacy and security of children who use its video application.

Moody’s concerns center on whether age verification tools on TikTok’s application can be circumvented. Specifically, she said she wants to know if a child under the age of 13 can delete an account and obtain a new account on the very same device using a fake birthdate and evading other child protections.

Under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, parental consent is required before the personal information of users under 13 can be collected—making age verification an integral tool in protecting TikTok’s younger users, said Moody.

She said it is also imperative that application operators provide parents with adequate guidance, information and tools regarding the use of children’s personal information.

“As a mother, I have concerns about the risks our children face when they communicate online or download new social media applications," Moody said. "As the use of social applications, such as TikTok, increases with more children at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and summer begins, it is paramount that robust security measures are in place and are enforced to protect and safeguard the privacy of children who may not be of the age to appreciate online safety risks."

The relatively new cellphone app gives users the opportunity to share 60-second videos. Most popular with the teen and tween population (the app stipulates that users must be at least 13), TikTok was the most downloaded app of 2019, with an estimated one billion users around the world.

Teens and tweens like the app because it allows them to use special effects to post funny videos of themselves lip-synching, dancing in slow motion or reversing motion on a dive into a swimming pool.

Parents, however, see it as another vehicle to attract sexual predators because the app can be downloaded without creating a TikTok account. The public can see any video that a child shares on the app and can react and potentially send direct messages to the child.

Parents are also concerned about inappropriate videos posted to the app. Videos on the app launched a trend known as the "skull-breaker challenge" in which two people get on either side of a third person and kick the third person's legs out from under him, causing him to land painfully on the ground.

Youth throughout the country have ended up in the hospital with broken bones, head injuries, concussions and seizures.

In response to criticism, the app developers added a password-protected digital well-being element onto TikTok. Parents can also turn on a restricted mode to filter out inappropriate content and users have the option to set up a private account so videos can be viewed by only approved followers. See TikTok’s Community Guidelines.

TikTok also announced in April that it will roll out a Family Pairing in-app feature so parents can see what their children are posting and watching.

"As potential security issues involving social media applications are brought to my attention, I will continue reaching out to these companies to learn more about the protections they have in place to ensure compliance with our privacy laws," Moody said.

In the inquiry letter sent Friday to the TikTok developers, Moody requested TikTok provide the following information:

• What tools are provided to parents to control and monitor a child’s participation and secure a child’s TikTok account;
• How parents are notified as to privacy policies regarding the collection of a child’s information;
• How TikTok obtains parental consent before the information of a child is collected;
• Whether TikTok runs facial recognition software on or collects biometric information of users and how users are notified of this collection;
• What security measures have been implemented to ensure the privacy and security of children under the age of 13 and prevent the circumvention of age verification measures; and
• What other measures are being implemented to ensure compliance with COPPA.

Whether it's TikTok or another app or social media platform, Moody urges parents to be aware of how websites and social media applications collect and share children’s personal information—particularly online contact information, telephone numbers, geolocation, photos and videos.

Under COPPA, parents have the ability to prevent the collection and sharing of this information for children under 13 and to request that collected information be deleted. These options allow parents to prevent a child’s information from being shared with marketers or third parties that they may not know or trust.

Parents can follow these additional tips to protect a child’s privacy online:

• Use strong passwords, including a combination of letters, numbers and symbols;
• Enable parental controls wherever possible, including on individual devices and wireless networks;
• Teach children not to share personal or identifying information online, including full name, age, home address or school name;
• Teach children to be responsible for online actions. Let them know that things posted on the internet can live on forever—potentially affecting future endeavors;
• Regularly check apps children may be using and read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for each; and
• Set and share rules about appropriate use of devices, such as set times for use, acceptable apps, and consequences for breaking the rules.

To help parents sort out which apps are appropriate for their children, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office has put together a guide featuring 15 apps parents should know about.

Courtesy Pasco County Sheriff