TikTok is rolling out new digital well-being features like an affirmation journal and a background sound generator aimed at improving the mental health of its users. The social network said it will also give users badges for controlling their TikTok usage.
The company is redesigning its screen time management page and adding new features to it. These include an affirmation journal with more than 120 positive prompts that let users set your intent for the day, a sound generator that can play calming sounds like rain or ocean waves, and a breathing exercise module. The company said that the page will also feature content from creators who talk about limiting screen time, using parental tools, and customizing their feeds.
TikTok is also debuting new badges to reward people who use the platform within limits, especially teens. The company said it reviewed academic literature on digital well-being and found that overly restrictive tools can have a negative effect on teens.
To earn these badges, users need to complete different missions. Users can complete the sleep hours mission by avoiding using the platform at night. They can also use the new meditation tools to get a badge. TikTok is also rewarding people who set a daily screen time limit and use the app within those bounds with a badge. There are other badges for viewing the weekly screen time report and inviting others to complete these missions.
The company said that during its early testing, it observed that more people visited the new well-being screen compared to the previous version of the screen time menu, with the affirmation journal being the most popular tool.
TikTok said it will display a link to these tools when someone is using the app at night or when they hit their daily screen time limit.
The company launched new parental control tools in July, giving guardians the ability to block certain accounts and get notifications when teens upload a public video or a story. In the past month, tech companies including Meta, YouTube, OpenAI, and Discord, have added new safety tools with an aim to increase teen safety.
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