Updated: August 15, 2024
Your well-being, both online and offline, matters to us. We want you to feel in control of your TikTok experience and interact with technology in a way that feels right for you. To better support you and our wider community, TikTok partners with experts to develop toolkits for everyone to learn more about improving their well-being, and to build a supportive online community.
Digital well-being refers to the state of one's mental and physical health in the context of digital or online activities. It includes how people interact with technology and the internet and supports having a healthy and balanced relationship with digital devices and online content.
Evaluating your digital well-being requires self-awareness. You can assess how your digital habits impact your physical and mental health by:
Reflecting on your screen time
Assessing emotional state after screen time
Paying attention to sleep patterns and quality
Assessing productivity after online activities
Assessing online engagement
Evaluating online privacy and security practices
Considering the content consume online
As technology continues to complement our daily lives, we could all use ways to find balance in our digital well-being journey.
Created together with experts at Internet Matters, here are 7 questions to support you as you reflect on and create healthy and balanced digital habits together.
The digital well-being features on TikTok help you — or a teenager under your care — be mindful of your time online. They also limit content that may not be appropriate for all audiences. These settings may vary depending on your region and version of the app.
Daily screen time is a feature that enables you to decide how much time you’d like to spend on TikTok each day. On TikTok, every account belonging to a user below age 18 is automatically set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit.
Screen time dashboard is an easy-to-access feature, providing visibility into how and when you are using TikTok. You can also opt-in for ‘Weekly screen time updates’ for these insights to be delivered straight to your inbox. This way, you can make more intentional decisions about your usage, and be more focused when you use it.
Screen time break is a feature that will prompt you to take a break after a certain amount of uninterrupted screen time, which you can set.
Restricted Mode is an option that limits the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences. It can be switched on or off via your account settings. Restricted Mode is also one of the features that a parent can control directly when Family Pairing is turned on.
Here are some additional resources to learn more about digital well-being.
The safety and well-being of our TikTok community members is our top priority. We all have a role to help each other stay safe and supported during mental health struggles.
When having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, people are most likely to reach out to friends and community members. Friends and community members are also likely to notice when someone is struggling. But do you know what to do when you see someone who could use help?
Research shows that some ways of offering support are safer and more effective than others. Below are some tips to help you respond to someone struggling with suicide or self-harm.
Signs of struggling
It is important to notice signs of struggling:
Steps to CREATE a connection
How to respond to someone struggling? Follow these steps to CREATE a connection!
Responding to someone who is struggling can help them feel less alone and more supported. Here are five options for responding:
Balance listening with asking open-ended questions. Acknowledge the person’s emotions and struggles, but avoid saying that suicide or self-harm is a helpful or normal way to cope. Try to keep the focus on the other person. While you may want to share your own struggles, this can lead to the other party to feel invalidated. Avoid jumping into problem-solving as this can be frustrating to the individual in crisis, since we are outsiders to their situation. Examples of empathetic responses:
Research shows that asking about suicide does not put the thought into someone’s head or increase the risk. Instead, it can start a conversation that may help save their life:
Empower the community member to keep themself safe and to reach out for help:
Reminders
Remember, if you’re concerned, take the first step to CREATE a connection. You don’t need to wait for someone to reach out for you to show that you care.
Self-care is important and you matter too. No one can take full responsibility for the thoughts or actions of another person. You do not have to have these conversations if you are not prepared or in the right space mentally.
Resources are available, and you are not the only person responsible for a friend or community member’s wellbeing. Taking care of each other is a team effort – we can help people stay safe, feel more connected, and access the resources they need.
Resources
For further resources, including a list of free helplines for anyone struggling emotionally, check out the TikTok Safety Center.
This toolkit was developed with expert consultation from International Association for Suicide Prevention, Crisis Text Line, ThroughLine, Samaritans of Singapore and Samaritans (UK). Special thanks to Drs. Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, Rory O’Connor, Daniel Reidenberg, and Jo Robinson for their advice and research.
Disclaimer
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or ideations, please contact a healthcare provider or a suicide hotline immediately. The content contained in these guides and/or toolkits are for informational purposes and educational use only and are not intended to provide mental health or medical services.