Today we're announcing the launch of TikTok's global Youth Council, a new initiative that further strengthens how we build our app to be safe for teens by design. The launch comes as new global research with over 12,000 teens and parents of teens aged 13-17 reveals a desire for more opportunities to work alongside platforms.

The Youth Council was created in partnership with Praesidio Safeguarding, a specialist online safety agency, and is comprised of 15 teens aged between 15 and 18 representing a range of communities and countries including the US, UK, Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Morocco. The group first met in December 2023 and recently completed their second meeting, which was attended by TikTok CEO, Shou Chew.

The Youth Council has set out its priorities for 2024, which include a focus on teen well-being and inclusion to help ensure TikTok continues to be a safe and accessible space for young people to show up as who they are. In February's meeting, the teens also:

  • Provided input into TikTok's Youth Portal, which is currently being redesigned.
  • Requested information about reporting and blocking to better understand what happens after a report is made.

The research, conducted by YouGov in partnership with Internet Matters, looked to better understand how UK families have conversations about online safety. Almost half (49%) of UK teens said they talk with their parents or caregivers about their use of online platforms only once a month or less. Just over 1 in 5 (22%) UK teens acknowledge that they avoid certain conversations about the online world. The topic teens find most uncomfortable to discuss with parents is body image (30%), followed by screen time (25%) – the latter of which only 7% of parents feel uncomfortable discussing.

Further insight from the research:

  • Only a third of UK parents (33%) say they use parental tools available to help manage online safety, such as daily screen time caps - lower than in other countries surveyed, including the US (40%) and Mexico (41%).
  • Platforms have an opportunity to support the quarter (24%) of UK parents who say they would like to use the parental tools available but are either not aware of them (13%) or don't know how to use them (11%).
  • Families aren't indicating a struggle with the 'new', AI-generated or manipulated content space. It was one topic that both teens (83%) and their parents (87%) agreed they felt most comfortable discussing together.


Responding to what we've found

Whether it's the formation of our first Advisory Council in 2020 or creating in-app tips based on the support teens told us they value, we have long sought external perspective so that we can do more as we learn more.

Understanding that it can be daunting to navigate the online world, TikTok works alongside leading industry experts to help families get accessible information. By visiting TikTok's Safety Centre online or in-app, people can find a range of guides, including those covering bullying prevention and body image. In the last six months, these have been viewed by more than one million people every month.

To encourage more people to check out our parental tools, we've prompted hundreds of millions of people in our app about Family Pairing. We now show this to every new community member aged 35 or older when they join our app.

During the first Youth Council meeting, teens talked about the importance of educational campaigns, and throughout 2024, TikTok will launch over 10 in-app media literacy campaigns around the world, including deepdives into topics like misinformation and AI-generated content.

Val Richey, Global Head of Outreach & Partnerships in Trust & Safety at TikTok said: "Listening to feedback from teens and parents is a huge part of our safety work at TikTok. We want to empower families to experience the joy of our platform, by making meaningful changes based on their feedback and by equipping them with tools such as Family Pairing."

Youth Council teen aged 15, United Kingdom: "When I found out I was appointed as a member of the TikTok Global Youth Council, I was overcome with a feeling of excitement at the opportunity I was given and a sense of pride because I am from a small ex-mining town and yet I have been picked for such an incredible role. I hope to achieve a safer and more positive app for people of my age and older; I also hope to grow and encourage a place where people of all creeds and backgrounds can come together and understand each other and have civil discussions about all kind of topics. The first meeting was like a breath of fresh air, finally such a big app company truly wanting to listen and understand young people. It truly was such a productive environment, and everyone’s ideas and suggestions were listened to very attentively. I can’t wait to see the incredible work we are bound to achieve together."

Carolyn Bunting MBE, Co-CEO Internet Matters: "When it comes to ensuring children feel safe and well online, it is incredibly important that we listen and respond to their lived experiences, that’s why we are pleased that TikTok is putting their Global Youth Council at the heart of their trust and safety programme. The Youth Council’s input will be critical in ensuring TikTok can respond effectively to their needs and concerns when using the platform.

The research also confirms that there is much more that can be done to help both parents and teens make the most of the existing controls and settings that are available. These are vital tools that parents can use to support young people along with playing an active role in their children’s digital lives. We are pleased that TikTok will be both making this a focus of their in app messaging and doing more to promote media literacy in the UK."