TikTok
Profile, menu, Settings and privacy, Family Pairing. Link as the parent from your own account. The teen cannot loosen a limit you set.
Do not look for a TikTok spending switch
On your phone · about 3 min
Family Pairing does not include a spending control. Buying and sending Coins and Gifts is limited to 18 and older, or 19 in South Korea. The backstop is purchase approval on the Apple or Google account.
- Turn on Ask to Buy or Family Link purchase approval on the phone.
- Tell your teen that Coins and Gifts are an 18+ feature, not a switch you can tune inside Family Pairing.
Checked 30 Sep 2026
Link Family Pairing from your own account
Both of you together · about 8 min
You set the limits on your account, and they apply on every device the teen uses. Restricted Mode and the daily screen-time limit also stop the teen from logging out or switching accounts.
- On your TikTok profile, open the menu, then Settings and privacy, then Family Pairing.
- Choose Parent, and follow the steps to link the teen.
- Talk through it first. You will be able to review settings and blocked accounts. You are not reading their messages from this screen.
Checked 30 Sep 2026
Leave precise location off, and skip location tags
On your kid's device · about 3 min
TikTok only collects device location (approximate or precise) from users 18 and older. For under-18s it still estimates an approximate location from the SIM card, IP address and device settings.
- Do not turn on Location Services for TikTok on the phone.
- Ask your teen not to add a location tag to posts.
Checked 30 Sep 2026
Confirm direct messages are not available
On your phone · about 3 min · Direct messages are not available at 13–15.
Ages 13–15 do not get direct messages. The account is private by default, downloads are off and cannot be turned on, and other people cannot Duet or Stitch their videos.
- You should not see a direct-message control for this age. That is expected.
- Leave the account private. Comments are limited to friends, and “Suggest your account” is off.
Checked 30 Sep 2026
Keep the account private
On your phone · about 4 min
Accounts aged 13–17 are private by default. Family Pairing can also turn search on or off and review who they follow, who follows them, and who is blocked.
- In Family Pairing, leave Discoverability set to private.
- Review blocked accounts, following, and followers while you are there.
Checked 30 Sep 2026
Hosting a LIVE is 18 or older
Both of you together · about 2 min
TikTok Support says you must be 18 or older to host a LIVE.
- Do not look for a Family Pairing switch that lets a teen host LIVE. TikTok Support says the host has to be 18 or older.
Checked 30 Sep 2026
Leave notification muting on overnight
On your phone · about 2 min
Push notifications are muted by default overnight: 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. for ages 13–15, and 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. for ages 16–17.
Default quiet hours are 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.
- In Family Pairing, confirm overnight notification muting is still on.
Checked 30 Sep 2026
Set the daily screen time
On your phone · about 4 min · On by default at one hour for ages 13–17.
For ages 13–17 it starts at one hour. You can change it from your account, and one limit covers all of the teen's devices. There is an optional passcode if they ask for more time, plus a schedule for time away.
- In Family Pairing, set the daily screen time. One hour is already on.
- If you want a passcode before extra time is allowed, turn that on.
- Add time away for the hours the phone should be down. The teen can request more time.
Checked 30 Sep 2026
Turn on Restricted Mode
On your phone · about 3 min
Restricted Mode limits mature content. It also turns off the Following feed, going LIVE, and gifting on LIVE. With Family Pairing on, the teen cannot log out to escape it.
- Profile, menu, Settings and privacy, Content preferences, Restricted Mode.
- Set a passcode. You can also turn Restricted Mode on from Family Pairing.
Checked 30 Sep 2026