As the digital landscape continues to rapidly evolve, social media platforms like TikTok dominate the online experiences of youth, stirring both intrigue and concern among parents.
To address the growing need for guidance on navigating TikTok’s complex digital environment, Media Smarts, a Canadian organization dedicated to digital literacy, has developed a comprehensive guide for parents and families. This resource provides insights into the platform’s unique features and equips parents with tools to help their children use it safely.
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Welcome to where parents talk. My name is Lianne Castelino. Our guest today is the Director of Education at media smarts a national charitable organization in Canada. Media smarts focuses on developing programs and resources for families, schools, and communities on digital and media literacy. Matthew Johnson is also a researcher, a thought leader in digital literacy, and a speaker. He’s also a father of two teenagers. Matthew joins us today from Ottawa. Welcome, and thank you for being here.
Thanks for having me.
Let’s get started with media smarts latest offering, it’s a resource guide for parents and families focused on tick tock, what was the genesis and the impetus for this sort of guide?
We have been working with tick tock for a couple of years now as we work with a lot of the different apps and platforms that are popular with children and teens. And we’ve had certainly found in our most recent research, that tick tock had very quickly become one of the most popular platforms with teens in particular. We also knew that the youth in our research felt that it was important that the digital media literacy and online safety instruction that they got have the same aesthetic and ideally be presented in the same place as the platforms they were using. So all of that put together with the fact that tic tock was probably the platform that parents were least familiar with, because there are some kind of important ways that it’s different from some of the older social networks or video apps really pointed to the need for a specific resource for us to develop in partnership with tick tock that was going to educate parents and by extension teams about both how to get the most out of tick tock and ways to use it safely and ethically.
Can you take us through what that process looked like in terms of you talked about a collaboration. So what was the kind of research that was undertaken to inform the guide?
we drew very heavily on our young Canadians in a wireless world research. This is a research program that we’ve been conducting since 2001. We believe it’s the longest running research project on youth and digital technology anywhere in the world. And it gives us really essential insights about what kids are doing online, both in general and on specific platforms, their experiences, their attitudes, what they’re learning in school and their interactions with peers, and parents. This is always our touchstone. But we also do research between the phases. So we’ve done four phases of young Canadians in a wireless world, we just finished releasing the reports from Phase four. But between phases, we also do additional will be sometimes called deep dive research where we identify a specific topic and focus on that. And so we did recently do a research report on how young people prefer to report missing disinformation online. And as well, we drew on research that we had done a couple of years ago about how young people would prefer to give consent to privacy policies and terms of service went online. And this led, in fact, to a white paper that we delivered to a number of the different apps and platforms that we have connections to with recommendations from the youth. And it was really heartening to us that one of those was taken up by tick tock and that was the idea of creating a more secure, more managed experience for the youngest users that is to say users in the case of Tik Tok users aged 13 to 15. Because one of the things that the youth in that research set told us was they don’t feel like they’re adults, when they turn 18. There’s a tremendous amount of growth and development that happens between 13 and 18. So they didn’t feel it was appropriate that they suddenly have full unfettered access and have the exact same experience on an app that 18 year old or older users do. So we did want to make sure that that was highlighted and in the resource. We also wanted to make sure that we were communicating to parents particularly The ways in which tick tock is different from apps they may be more familiar with. So we wanted them to understand the ways in which youth use it that are different that most of their video content for instance, most of the videos they watch, come not from people they’re connected to, but rather from for you page. So we needed to do some education around algorithmic recommendation. And that a lot of what happens on Tik Tok is collaborative involving things like duets, and stitches. So we wanted to educate around those. And beyond that it was a matter of identifying in terms of the general digital media literacy topics, things like privacy, things like body image, things like advertising, things like screen time, which ones were the most relevant to tic toc? And how did we want to address those? What was the most essential information that we wanted to include in the guide on each of these topics? And which of our other resources could we link out to from the guide?
Certainly, that’s a robust list of different items that informed this guide, you know, and parsing through that must have presented some some interesting challenges. So how did you arrive at the structure of the guide in terms of what can parents expect when they access this guide?
So the guide starts with a brief description of what tic tock is, and in particular, they say, the ways in which it’s different. Tic tock, in fact, they don’t refer to it as a social network, they refer to it as a short form video app. And, of course, we think of it as a social network. It has many social networking features. And certainly, it is possible to contact other people. But because the focus is on making, editing and collaborating on videos, it was important to us to make sure that was clear. And we also have a glossary, which is at the end of the guide, but we color code all of the words that are in the glossary as green so that anytime you’re looking at one of the other sections of the guide, and you see something that scream, you know that it’s in the glossary, so you can check there. Beyond that, we have a section talking about communication, because of course, that is the most important thing that we as parents can do is to have an open and ongoing conversation with our teens and kids about all of the media that they use and consume. So we have tips for conversations to have before kids start using any social network before teen start using tick tock talking about those other resources that are available to them talking about things that they can do, to limit who can see their contact content to limit who can connect or interact with them to limit what people can do with their content, as well, as we have some tips about what we call co viewing, which of course sometimes means actually using an app or watching or playing something together. But also means just having that ongoing conversation with youth, about their media lives about what they’re doing, about what they’re consuming, about what they’re making, and encouraging mindful use. So that we’re using it not just whenever we have a bore a moment when we’re bored. Which of course, is a particular risk, when we’re talking about an app that delivers short form videos, that it’s going to be that that app that we use in those interstitial moments, and that those moments when we just have nothing else to do, which is not always a bad thing. I’m not going to say that you’re necessarily better off staring into space, if you’re waiting in line or something like that. But it is important that it’s a choice that we make that it’s not something that we do entirely out of habit. By the sat next have gone.
I was just gonna say I want to pick up on one point that you just brought up. Yeah, and I’m not sure you can answer this, but maybe some of your research has yielded, you know, some light on it. And that’s the communication piece between parent and child as a relates to social media and devices. Do you feel like the message is getting out there in general because of, you know, all kinds of media coverage, most of it obviously negative, you know, loss of life in many cases, you know, countries around the world that have banned different social media apps do you You feel that in Canada, that the education piece as it relates to families having these conversations amongst themselves, is happening?
Well, obviously, we’re working hard to make sure that it’s happening. But it is unfortunate, I think that there remains a bit too much of an emphasis on the idea of time as being the most important thing. And also unfortunate that people do fall into the addiction, framing. And not just adults, because in my experience, teens themselves very easily fall into that framing, that they see themselves as being addicted. And we know first of all, that time by itself, the amount of time we spend using a device or a particular platform, isn’t that meaningful. By itself, there’s a tremendous amount of data that shows that what’s more important is when you’re using it. So we know for instance, that time has a greater impact for teams on weekdays and weekends, how you’re using it, whether you are using it in an active way, whether you’re using it for genuine socialization, for creative purposes, to be educational, or whether you’re using it in a reflexive way, we know that different kinds of activities and content affect different people differently. And that that can be mediated by media literacy, education. And we even know that how we view our relationship with these apps and devices, has an impact that if we see our relationship as one of addiction, we actually are likely to have a worse experience. Whereas if we see our relationship as being one of habit as being something that we have control over, if we choose to take control, then people typically have a better experience. And we’re getting a guest appearance from my cat here. And so it’s it’s important to us, you know, and we don’t want to paper over the fact that, you know, in general, a lot of online platforms are, are designed to get us to keep using them, they have features that make us come back to them, they have features that try to get us to use them at least once a day in many cases, because that’s something that is reported to shareholders daily active usage. And so, you know, these, these are things that we need to make parents and young people aware of, but we’re not powerless in the face of those things. In the same way, you know, Doritos have been engineered, they’ve spent millions of dollars to engineer Doritos to be as tasty as possible and to get us to eat as much of the bag at a sitting as as possible. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless to eat them or not. And it doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to just have a certain amount, we just have to build better habits.
Absolutely. Now, when you talk about awareness, I wonder Matthew, if there are any quick insights or statistics that you can share about tick tock in particular, that parents might be surprised to learn.
I think parents might be surprised to learn that it was the second most popular app in our most recent survey. And I think that why they might be surprised is in my experience, it changes a lot with age. And that parents may not be as aware that their kids are spending time that their teens are spending time on tick tock because they don’t use it to connect with friends. So we know that a lot of the reasons why, for instance, young people will often want to have a phone in the bedroom is both because they don’t want to miss updates from their friends, but also because they want to be available to their friends. They want to make sure if their friends need them, or just if their friends post something at two in the morning. They’re there to support them. And we don’t typically see that kind of thing with Tiktok simply because they’re not it’s not as social they’re not interacting with close friends to the same degree. And because of that, parents may not necessarily be aware of that their their teams are using Tiktok or how much their teams are using tick tock but we do know that it’s it’s extremely popular among teens and in some cases, younger kids as well though, for the reasons I said earlier Have kids under 13 shouldn’t be using tick tock with their own account. We do recommend if kids under 13 Really, really, really want to use tick tock, we recommend that parents create an account that they can then use together with their kids, and then move to the third 13 to 15 year old experience, so that they can have that kind of graduated independence.
You also mentioned that this guide that media smarts put together was done in collaboration with tik tok, which may catch a few people off guard, you know, it’s a surprising little piece of information. Can you take us through Matthew, what that collaboration looked like? And how did it help yield the information that’s in the guide?
Well, in this case, it was pretty straightforward. We developed a draft at media smarts. And we received feedback from tick tock on the draft, we particularly when it related to specific features of tick tock or particular language that they wanted to use. They let us know about some of the technical features that we didn’t know as much about. And then we did the final draft, which was then laid out and published. So it was it was a pretty simple collaboration, where the content, really the bulk of the content aimed at parents the bulk of the content about essentially how to how to have a good experience with tick tock and how to talk to your kids about tick tock was drafted by us and some of the content specifically about how the platform works, was either drafted by or was consulted on by tick tock.
Was there anything in that information exchange that caught your eye that surprised you that you may not have known about tick tock and some of its safety features?
Um, I’m not sure there was necessarily anything. That surprised me. I hadn’t really had an opportunity before to look closely at TIC TOCs community guidelines. And that’s something that, again, the young people in our research said was really important, particularly when it came back to pushing back when it came to pushing back against online hate and cyberbullying. They felt very strongly that platforms needed to do more to communicate their their guidelines. So that was something that I hadn’t had a chance to look at. And I thought it was really important to put front and center that tick tock has among its community guidelines, the idea for instance, of championing inclusion of fostering civility and protecting privacy, so that a lot of the content that we have in there is tied around that about respecting people’s privacy and making it possible to for everyone to be included.
On the issue of privacy, what can you tell us because a lot of people worry about the data that is mined from the social media apps and video sharing apps. What do we need to know about as parents with respect to the data that is being mined?
So each platform, of course, every one of these social media apps and video apps, collect information. And because in almost every case, the bulk of their revenue comes from advertising, and targeted advertising is what they offer that traditional media doesn’t. And that’s on by default, but more and more platforms, including tick tock are giving people options of turning that off to one degree or another. So you do have the option to turn off personalized ads. And this information is in the guide where you can go into the settings and turn targeted ads on or off depending on how whether or not you want to see ads that are based on what information Tiktok has about you. But we also have information on ways that you can limit what data Tiktok itself collects. So we include a link to the privacy policy, which outlines how Tiktok collects and uses data, and the guide actually gives instructions on how to adjust privacy settings on your device. So on an iPhone or an iPad, for instance, you can actually turn off tracking on the device Pay for each of your different apps. That’s not possible at the moment on an Android device. But there is an app called Duck Duck go, which is free and has a feature called App Tracking Protection, that will prevent other apps on the phone from collecting data. And all of that information is in the guide so that if parents are uncomfortable with data being collected on their device, or their children’s device, they can turn it off at the source.
Along those same lines, when we talk about parental controls on some of these apps, how easy or difficult is it to circumvent parental control that may be applied to tick tock
so tick tock has a feature that allows parents within if the user is within a certain age range, and allows parents to control the settings, it doesn’t necessarily allow you to see what’s being posted. And in general, we don’t encourage parents to spy on their kids. But it does allow you to turn restricted mode on and off to change the privacy settings and things like that. That’s called Family pairing. And really the only way if you’re using that the only way to get around it is to create a whole other account. But that’s something of course, that is always possible. And again, that’s one of the reasons why we encourage conversation and household rules over direct surveillance, because it’s always possible for kids to make another account. And it’s always possible to for them to find some way around surveillance or direct control. And of course, if they’re focused on not being spied on, then they’re not likely to come to you if they have a problem.
So it’s safe to say, Matthew that, you know, social media giants continue to receive a lot of media scrutiny, a lot of a negative coverage in the United States, tick tock, for example, is on the verge of potentially being banned in that country currently being used by over 170 million people. Based on what you’ve just described, do you believe a ban like that is reasonable?
I can’t really take a position on that. You know, we’re an education nonprofit. So it’s outside of our mandate to weigh in on on policy measures like that.
I understand. So let me switch gears a little bit and ask you about digital citizenship, because I think it is obviously related to to the other question. We’ve heard the term a lot, especially as parents in recent years in particular, first of all, how do you define digital citizenship.
So digital citizenship is about being an engaged citizen in your online communities. And it’s about using online tools to be an engaged citizen in the rest of your life. It’s really important to us that digital citizenship is not just about your responsibilities. And it’s not just about keeping yourself safe. It is about being a full citizen in the online world. And that’s one of the reasons why we think it’s really important that that everybody, but particularly young people understand the power that they have, when they’re interacting with these platforms, that we have power as users of the platforms, we do have power as citizens, that we can, as citizens, take a stand and influence our lawmakers and policymakers based on what we think is the right policy. And we have power as consumers as well. So going back to the fact that all of these platforms make their money from advertising. That gives us a tremendous amount of leverage in terms of changing practices that we may see as unfair because we can go through the advertisers. And we can make them understand when we’re unhappy with a platform, and that has a direct impact on how the platform does business. And there have been a number of cases where platforms and a very large ones in some cases have changed how they do business based on advertiser pressure, which is to say consumer pressure.
Now Matthew, you are a father of two teenage boys 15 and 13 years old, certainly in the part of the demographic that this guide that Leah smarts has put together is trying to target with all the knowledge and expertise you have have in the digital media literacy space? How do you manage this in your own home? Is it a blessing or a curse that you know so much about this? And sort of what does that look like?
Well, I guess it’s a bit of a curse than that. I think I feel guilty more often than other people, particularly when I’m doing interviews or other things when I’m using a screen when, at times when my kids aren’t supposed to be using screens. But no, I would say that, in general, it is a blessing because in some ways, I worry less. And I feel more confident, I think than certainly than I did even a few years ago, before, we had knew as much before the research base had built up as much about what is the best approach to things like screen time, and what experiences to foster and that has been a big change for me a few years ago, in terms of both establishing rather than counting minutes, establishing routines, establishing times and places where screen use is allowed and times in places where it’s not allowed. coming to an understanding of my the importance of my role as I’m as more model in terms of healthy screen use, and also thinking of it in terms of providing more time for the activities that I think are valuable for you. So when one of my son’s is learning something, or when they’re making something, or when they’re outside playing Pokemon Go, or when they’re playing ring fit, or something else that gets them moving, or when they’re playing a video game together with one another or together with a friend. I know that all of those things are are more positive activities. And I don’t, I don’t feel bad about giving time to that. But I also make sure of course, it to reserve time for us to spend together as a family without screens.
What is the ideal age for a parent to sit down with their child and maybe consider looking at talking tik tok a Family Guide, the guide that we’re talking about today?
It really depends on the child. So really, as I said earlier, young people shouldn’t be using Tiktok. Before they’re 13, partly because quite simply, it’s against the terms of service. But also because there is that managed experience. If you lie about your age to join, if you say that you’re 30 or 40 or 50, then you’re not going to get that managed experience. So we do recommend that if we set up to the parent account if kids are younger than 13. So I would say in general, if it’s a child who setting up their own first account at age 13, then that’s the time to do it. If you’re looking at creating your own account that you’re going to share with your child a couple of years earlier than that’s the time to do but really what’s what’s most important, of course, is that ideally, you do it before kids start using tick tock, but at the same time, if they’re already using it. And I think there’s a there are things that pretty much any parent can learn from this guide. And most importantly, there are ways to start a conversation that maybe you haven’t started yet, because that’s what’s most important more than any more than any facts more than any features. It is getting that conversation going.
Matthew Johnson, Director of Education at media smarts, thank you so much for your time and your insight today. Thank you
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In an interview with Lianne Castelino of Where Parents Talk, Matthew Johnson, Director of Education at Media Smarts, delved into the motivations behind this new guide and shared insights about the evolving digital behaviours of youth. Johnson’s work is grounded in research, in part through Media Smarts’ ongoing Young Canadians in a Wireless World project, which has been running since 2001 and is one of the longest-running studies on youth digital habits globally.
Why Focus on TikTok?
TikTok, a short-form video app, has become immensely popular with teens. According to Johnson, the platform stands out due to its unique video-driven, algorithm-based content delivery, as opposed to the more traditional, friend-based social networks like Facebook or Instagram.
While most social platforms emphasize connections with people you know, TikTok’s appeal lies in its “For You” page, where algorithmic recommendations curate a personalized content stream. For many parents unfamiliar with the app, this distinction can be confusing, which is why Media Smarts saw an urgent need for this guide.
Johnson notes that TikTok was often under the radar for parents, despite being the second most popular app among teens in recent research. This lack of familiarity made it important to create a resource that not only explains the platform’s features but also provides actionable advice on fostering a safe and healthy digital experience.
The Collaborative Process
Media Smarts collaborated with TikTok to create the guide. Johnson explains that Media Smarts initially developed the draft, focusing on key aspects of digital literacy, online safety, and family communication. TikTok provided technical feedback, particularly around its platform features and safety mechanisms, ensuring the guide’s accuracy.
One of the most significant takeaways for Johnson during this process was exploring TikTok’s community guidelines, which promote inclusivity and privacy protection. The guide includes tips for parents on how to leverage these built-in safety features to manage their child’s experience on the platform.
Key Features of the TikTok Guide
The guide covers a wide range of topics, including privacy settings, managing screen time, understanding TikTok’s collaborative features like duets and stitches, and even the importance of developing healthy online habits.
Johnson emphasizes that one of the guide’s main goals is to foster conversation between parents and children. “The most important thing we can do as parents is have an open and ongoing conversation with our teens about all the media they use,” he notes. The guide provides practical advice on how to start these conversations, as well as tips on co-viewing—either by directly engaging with the app or discussing content together to encourage mindful media consumption.
In addition to offering tips on communication, the guide highlights specific ways to adjust TikTok’s privacy settings to suit family needs. For instance, parents can enable restricted modes and privacy controls to limit who can view or interact with their child’s content. The guide also provides advice on monitoring data collection and managing personalized ads, drawing attention to available tools like DuckDuckGo for enhanced privacy on Android devices.
Addressing Screen Time and Addiction
A common concern among parents is the time their children spend on social media and the potential for addiction. Johnson says the focus on screen time alone is misplaced. “The amount of time spent using a device isn’t as meaningful as how and when it’s used,” he explains.
The guide aims to shift the focus from mere time spent online to the quality and purpose of that usage. For example, content consumed for socializing or creative purposes is typically more beneficial than passive scrolling.
Johnson also highlights the importance of understanding online habits and taking control of one’s media use, rather than framing social media use in terms of addiction. This, he says, can significantly improve young people’s online experiences.
Digital Citizenship: Empowering the Next Generation
The guide also emphasizes the broader concept of digital citizenship, which Johnson explains as “being an engaged citizen in your online communities and using online tools to be an engaged citizen in the rest of your life.” This includes understanding the power young people have as users of digital platforms, consumers, and citizens. Media literacy plays a crucial role in helping youth recognize their ability to influence how platforms operate, whether through personal actions or consumer advocacy.
A Resource for Families
While the guide is targeted toward parents of children and teens aged 13 and older, Johnson stresses its relevance even for younger children who may be curious about TikTok.
He encourages parents to be proactive by engaging with their kids before they start using the app. However, even if teens are already using TikTok, the guide provides helpful tools for initiating conversations that may not have happened yet.
Johnson’s own experience as a father of two teenage boys reflects the broader message of the guide: it’s not about strict control or surveillance, but about building trust, fostering communication, and guiding children towards responsible and empowered use of digital platforms.
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