Tiktok has announced a new set of filters and options to help protect and limit unwanted exposure within the app. Avoiding harmful or offensive content is a continuing struggle. It is important to not only protect adults but especially important to protect younger users. 
 
First off, TikTok has launched a way for users to automatically filter out videos that include specific words or hashtags that they don’t want to see in their feed. You can block specific hashtags via the ‘Details’ tab.  So, if you don’t want to see any more videos tagged #spiders, you can indicate that in your settings, while you can also block content containing chosen key terms within the description. 
 
TikTok says that the option will be available to all users within the coming weeks. 
 
Last December, TikTok launched a new series of tests to investigate how it might be able to reduce the potentially harmful impacts of algorithm amplification, by limiting the number of videos in certain, sensitive categories. Harmful topics, like dieting, extreme fitness, and sadness, among others have been part of the test investigation. 
 
It’s now moving to the next stage of this project. 
 
As explained by TikTok: 
 
“As a result of our tests, we’ve improved the viewing experience so that viewers now see fewer videos about these topics at a time. We’re still iterating on this work given the nuances involved. For example, some types of content may have both encouraging and sad themes, such as disordered eating recovery content.” 
 
This is an interesting area of research and may protect people from becoming obsessed with possibly harmful elements.

Finally, TikTok’s also working on a new rating system for content, like movie classifications for TikTok clips.

How do you feel about the effort Tiktok is making to keep their app safer?