Enhancing Safety and Well-being on TikTok

TikTok is a platform that attracts millions of users seeking entertainment, education, and fun. In order to maintain a safe environment, we have made significant progress in enhancing our safety infrastructure over the past year. We updated our Community Guidelines in January to provide clearer values, and this month we refreshed those guidelines to reflect our evolving stance on complex issues such as self-harm and bullying.

We are committed to ensuring TikTok remains a safe space for creative and authentic expression. To achieve this, we have expanded our global Trust and Safety hubs, introduced new safety features, and established partnerships with industry experts. Our aim is to continuously improve and protect our users' well-being.

Promoting authenticity is a top priority for us. We have strengthened our integrity policies and introduced additional reporting options to allow our community to flag concerning content and accounts. We have also collaborated with fact-checkers to verify the accuracy of content related to elections, COVID-19, vaccines, and other important topics. Furthermore, we have invested in digital literacy education to help users make informed decisions about the content they consume online.

Transparency is crucial in building trust with our community. We have enhanced our safety infrastructure to provide explanations for content removal, simplified the appeal process, and provided more detailed Transparency Reports. We have also partnered with organizations such as OpenSlate, the Trustworthy Accountability Group, and the Global Alliance for Responsible Media to promote brand safety and hold ourselves accountable for removing harmful content. Additionally, we have opened Transparency and Accountability Centers to provide policymakers and experts with insights into our operations, content moderation, privacy, and security practices.

Security is always a top priority for us. We continuously improve our systems to protect our community and their information. In addition to our dedicated global security team, we have partnered with HackerOne to expand our bug bounty program, allowing us to strengthen our defense systems with the help of security researchers and experts. We also provide regular security updates and collaborate with organizations such as the Center for Digital Society and the Onno Center to publish white papers on cybersecurity.

The well-being of our community is of utmost importance to us. We have launched initiatives to keep our community informed during the coronavirus pandemic, such as an in-app resource hub and campaigns promoting positivity and hygienic practices. We have also prioritized emotional health by seeking advice from mental health experts and developing inclusive policies on self-injury, eating disorder content, bullying, and harassment. We provide emotional support resources and actively participate in suicide prevention campaigns to foster conversations and connection around mental health.

We are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our younger users. While TikTok is for users aged 13 and above, we recognize the unique experiences of teenagers and young adults. We engage with parents and teens to understand their perspectives and provide tools for screen time management, privacy, and comments. We collaborate with youth safety organizations to prioritize the safety of young users and have developed Family Pairing and the Youth Portal to educate teens about digital literacy and facilitate conversations about online safety within families.

Safety and inclusion go hand-in-hand. We have evolved our hate speech policy to address exclusion and marginalization of underrepresented groups and counter hateful ideologies. We celebrate important occasions and communities, such as Black History Month and LGBTQ+ celebrations, to foster meaningful conversations. We are also working towards making our platform more accessible for those with visual sensitivities by introducing features that notify creators of potentially triggering content and allowing users to skip such content. We have also introduced opt-in viewing screens for graphic or distressing content and a text-to-speech feature.

Feeling safe is crucial for self-expression and creativity. We have made significant progress in building a sustainable infrastructure that prioritizes the safety and well-being of our users. As we continue to grow, we are committed to being even more proactive and thoughtful in caring for our community in the future.