TikTok is including one other aspect to reassure mother and father of teenagers who use the app, with the institution of a brand new Youth Council who’ll share the younger person perspective on the important thing points and considerations direct with TikTok administration.

TikTok has come underneath scrutiny in a number of areas over the hazard that it poses to kids, and the content material that it exposes them to. Which is one among a number of the reason why lobbying teams have known as for the app to be banned (and why it has been banned in some markets), however TikTok desires to additionally be sure that it’s listening to teenagers themselves when making its selections.

Which is the place the Youth Council is available in.

As defined by TikTok:

“The Youth Council was created is comprised of 15 teenagers aged between 15 and 18 representing a spread of communities and nations together with the US, UK, Brazil, Indonesia, Eire, Kenya, Mexico, and Morocco. The Youth Council’s priorities for 2024 embrace a concentrate on teen well-being and inclusion to assist guarantee TikTok continues to be a secure and accessible area for younger folks to indicate up as who they’re.”

That, ideally, will allow extra consultant suggestions and perception, which can then higher inform TikTok’s product and content material selections.

On the identical time, TikTok has additionally launched new analysis, carried out with YouGov, which incorporates insights from over 12k teenagers globally, offering extra knowledge on how they’re approaching these identical considerations.

“YouGov in partnership with ConnectSafely, regarded to higher perceive how households have conversations about on-line security. It discovered that almost all discuss at the very least weekly about teenagers’ use of on-line providers. Nonetheless, the survey uncovered that simply over two fifths (43%) of US teenagers acknowledge that they keep away from sure conversations in regards to the on-line world, and matters reminiscent of bullying and physique picture have been among the most uncomfortable for each teenagers and their mother and father.”

That are key areas of concern that, ideally, this new Youth Council can sort out, in offering extra context to assist mother and father and teenagers to deal with areas of potential hurt, in a extra cooperative and constructive method.

Certainly, in response to the primary assembly of the Youth Council, TikTok is already planning new training initiatives that target misinformation, AI-generated content material, and extra.

It’s a very good program, which TikTok may also be wanting to make use of as an illustration of its willingness to spend money on having a extra constructive impression.

I imply, that gained’t assist it within the present ban talks, as these are extra targeted on its hyperlinks to the CCP. However together, TikTok’s broader neighborhood efforts could assist to alleviate considerations across the app.