The launch of a local version with educational content and strict usage rules increased the frequency of accusing it of endangering young people, and the platform made adjustments for users under the age of 18 .

Edited by| Hugh Gey

Technology   section -  CJ journalist

Beijing – June,11,2023

Since its launch in 2017, "TikTok" has seemed the most attractive platform for children and teenagers and the most used among them for entertainment, communication and the preparation of funny videos, which made it achieve wide popularity and especially attract this age group. But despite this, its impact on children is still widely debated in the world and questions are being raised about China's intention behind allocating a special version for the country's children to provide them with different content, as opposed to the international version for the children of the world.

Everyone knows that technology in general and the "TikTok" platform in particular may pose a danger to teenagers depending on its uses, but China's move was the most stringent in this area in order to protect children from inappropriate content provided by the platform, so what does China offer to its children in its Douyin version?"

In recent years, the pressures faced by social media platforms to be safe for children have been increasing, but China seemed to be proactive in its keenness to protect its children, so it launched Douyin application first in 2016, for Chinese children in order to reach decent content, which differs from the content and terms of Use available on "TikTok" in the international version available to the rest of the world's children, noting that the Chinese version has about 750 million users in China compared to 1.5 billion users of"TikTok" in the world.

The "TikTok" application is the most widely used among young people, accounting for 25 percent of its users between the ages of 10 and 19, while those aged 20 to 22 make up 22 percent. As for those aged between 30 and 39 years, they make up 21 percent, so the largest percentage are younger, especially in the United States of America, where the number of its users reaches 115 million, as confirmed by the expert in digital transformation Paul Simon in his talk to "independent Arabia", but it is noteworthy that the application "TikTok" is not available in China, although it is of Chinese origin and owned by ByteDance just as to a large extent.

The Chinese version of "TikTok" is distinguished by the fact that it provides educational and educational content for children, in addition to a section dedicated to e-commerce, and it differs from the international version in terms of content and algorithms, especially that Beijing imposed strict laws on it with tight censorship, which made it characterized by its most child-friendly content. Chinese regulators are very strict in this area in order to ensure the nature of the content offered to children in their country exclusively, which has a more educational and educational character.

Whether for "TikTok" or Douyin, the owner Company confirms that the goal is entertainment for teenagers through entertaining videos and music, in addition to the possibility of enhancing the ability to communicate, establish social relationships and friendships through it, and enhance the creative ability of teenagers who rush to prepare entertaining and fun videos and participate in challenges, the company always emphasizes the educational aspect in both versions of what can be learned in different fields such as cooking, beauty, music and dance.

The "TikTok" platform is not without an educational aspect in what it offers children's content in the fields of science, languages, music, dance and cooking. However, in the absence of strict censorship and with different algorithms, it may make it more difficult for a child or teenager to access this educational content, unlike what happens in Douyin, where it is very easily available, according to Simaan, the Chinese version offers children scientific experiments that can be done at home and tours in museums with educational videos for those under the age of 14, as it differs not only in terms of content, but in terms of strict conditions of use, there are restrictions on viewing and use is limited to a maximum of 40 minutes a day, between ten in the evening and six in the morning.

All these stresses have led to increasing accusations directed at China that it is trying to protect its children from the danger of technology by customizing this version, unlike what is put forward in the international version for the rest of the world's children, although the application emphasizes in its policy its commitment to the protection of minors and their safety and banning activities that exploit, endanger or abuse them, even if several countries have banned the use of "TikTok" on their territory such as India, Taiwan and Pakistan.

The United States of America is threatening to do the same, which may be a blow to the company due to the high number of users, especially that the platform is accused of violating privacy since its use requires a lot of data, so preventing its use in several states by government employees for fear of possible espionage operations through it, but complete Prevention may not be that easy, especially with the high number of users for whom the platform represents a source of livelihood.

On the other hand, there have been many warnings about the dangers of "TikTok", in which the risk of addiction increases due to the way algorithms are set up in a way that pushes the user to excessive consumption after providing content that suits his preferences, without forgetting the risk of cyberbullying that a child can be exposed to in light of the communication capabilities available through the platform open to all.

As for the challenges launched by "TikTok", it is perhaps one of the most important dangers facing children and adolescents currently and was the cause of several deaths recorded recently, in addition to the rest of its psychological and health repercussions, since children participate in these challenges without thinking about the consequences, with the possibility of exploitation of these children by some people through this platform.

Following the controversy over the platform and the dangers it carries for children and adolescents, new steps have been taken by the organizers to make the international version closer to Chinese for children and stipulate that the use of "TikTok" for those under the age of 18 is prohibited for more than one hour a day, with the possibility of extending this deadline for an additional half hour with the permission of parents.

But the possibility of not declaring the real age remains possible. In this case, if it later turns out that the user did not declare his real age, he is strictly forbidden to use them. Therefore, teenagers prefer not to take risks so that strict rules are not imposed on them, both in the Chinese version and in the international one.

Despite the dangers that can result from the use of "TikTok", Simon emphasizes the primary role of parents in guiding and warning children about them by being at their side, informing them and setting times for using the platform. It is also important to emphasize the principle of privacy and limit the private data that a child can share, and it is important to encourage children to report any violation of privacy, suspicious behavior or inappropriate content. The report feature is available on the TikTok platform to report any inappropriate content or video, in addition to the possibility of adopting Restricted mode with an access code to protect the child, and the Family pairing feature exists to determine the uses of "TikTok" and the Times allocated for the child, and perhaps this is one of the most important features available in it to determine the time and choices available to the child in the search with the possibility of blocking direct message and limiting comments on videos to certain people.

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