TikTok expands safety policies with AI moderation, creator-focused features

TikTok also launches new product features aimed to protect young users on the platform

MANILA, Philippines – TikTok on Wednesday, July 30 (Manila time) announced new safety policies aimed to protect users and curb harmful content on the platform.

In a virtual briefing with journalists held on Wednesday, Adam Presser, head of TikTok’s operations and its trust and safety team, introduced a number of upcoming features on its short-form video platform as well as new ways the company is enforcing its Community Guidelines.

AI-assisted content moderation and enforcement

Among TikTok’s new approaches to improving platform safety is using new technologies such as AI to complement human moderation. Globally, TikTok has about 1.59 billion users on its platform.

“Given the scale of our platform, we talked about over a billion users, hundreds of millions of pieces of content being uploaded a day, that scale requires technology…. But it also requires people who are continuously innovating new ways to think about keeping people safe online, detecting risks online,” Presser said in the virtual briefing.

Current figures showed that 85% of content removed for violating TikTok’s Community Guidelines are identified via automation. TikTok also said it uses large language models (LLMs) to enforce its Community Guidelines in the comment sections on the platform.

Presser said TikTok is also using AI to limit human content moderators’ exposure to distressing content. In the previous year, TikTok saw a 60% decrease in graphic content viewed by its teams. Previous reports found that content moderators, including those based in the Philippines, may suffer from psychological trauma that comes with the work.

“This helps our people stay protected while they are protecting others,” Presser said.

Expanded safety features for creators, young TikTok users

TikTok also introduced new safety features that protect creators as well as young TikTok users from harmful content and messages.

The Creator Care Mode is a new option that TikTok creators can use to filter out offensive and unwanted comments that aren’t already covered by TikTok’s Community Guidelines. Presser said the Creator Care Mode serves as an “additive” on top of the existing policies that remove harmful comments on the platform.

“Anything that violates our Community Guidelines, we will still proactively moderate and remove, and [the Creator Care Mode] is really an added personalization feature to give creators the opportunity to make sure that their comment experience matches the experience that they want to have on the platform,” Presser said.

The tech company also introduced a new mute feature for TikTok live videos, where creators can mute certain words, phrases, or emojis in bulk. This may come in handy for accounts that spam and harass creators on their live videos.

TikTok’s new Content Check Lite feature also allows creators to check if their content is ineligible for its For You feed (FYF) before they actually post it. TikTok’s Community Guidelines list various examples of FYF-ineligible content, which includes hate speech, dangerous activities and challenges, nudity and sexually suggestive content, and disinformation.

TikTok also added more safety features to protect its teen users, who “have a very different experience on TikTok compared to adults” according to Presser. 

For instance, young users have several features automatically disabled on their accounts. All TikTok users under 16 are set to private by default, and only friends can comment on their posts. Their TikToks cannot be downloaded, and direct messaging, Duet, and Stitch features are also disabled.

Meanwhile, all users under 18 have their daily screen time on the platform set to 60 minutes. Live and virtual gift features are also disabled.

TikTok also expanded its Family Pairing product, first introduced in 2020 to give parents and teens more freedom to customize their safety settings based on their needs. New Family Pairing features include automatic notifications sent to parents whenever their teen uploads content on TikTok, as well as increased visibility on their teen’s privacy settings.  – Rappler.com