TikTok strengthens platform safety with new moderation, family controls, and collaboration with MCMC to protect users in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
KUCHING: Global short-video platform TikTok is strengthening its commitment to enhancing platform safety features through the TikTok Community Guidelines.
TikTok Malaysia public policy manager Aliff Zakaria said TikTok is also collaborating with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to ensure content published complies with national laws and respects local cultural sensitivities.
He said the move is aimed at ensuring its global community, including more than 450 million users in Southeast Asia and Malaysians, can use the application in a healthy, positive and creative manner.
“We have more than 40,000 multilingual moderators worldwide who are proficient in more than 30 languages to assess and review content.
“If there are reports of violations of laws or cultural sensitivities, firm action will be taken immediately,” he said during a session on Sharing Online Safety Tips held in conjunction with the Safe Internet Campaign Community Carnival at the Kuching district level here today.
Commenting on the safety of teenagers, he said the platform adopts a “Safety by Design” approach by automatically imposing strict age restrictions.
“Users under the age of 16 are strictly prohibited from using the direct messaging feature, while the function to send or receive gifts is only available to users aged 18 and above to protect minors.
“To balance screen time and address gadget addiction issues, TikTok also empowers parents through the Family Pairing feature,” he said.
Aliff said through the Family Pairing feature, parents are given access to more than 50 safety tools to monitor their children, such as setting TikTok usage time limits, blocking access during family mealtimes and controlling the types of topics and keywords their children can view.
He said the application is also equipped with automatic bedtime notifications at 11 pm or midnight to ensure teenagers get adequate rest, in addition to a screen time approval system that requires direct parental consent if children request additional time.
Aliff also said TikTok is not only an entertainment platform, but also provides a dedicated Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics tab to educate children on current issues such as AI development.
He said the platform is also actively used by teachers to share school modules and examination tutorials such as for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.
“Parents are encouraged to make use of these safety features and educational content together with their children to create a balanced and beneficial digital ecosystem for the future,” he said.
