Samsung Launches Galaxy Z TriFold to Elevate Its Position in the Foldable Smartphone Market 
Amazon and Google Launch New Multicloud Networking Service to Boost High-Speed Cloud Connectivity 
Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature 
Norway’s Wealth Fund Backs Shareholder Push for Microsoft Human-Rights Risk Report 
Coupang Apologizes After Massive Data Breach Affecting 33.7 Million Users 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Apple Appoints Amar Subramanya as New Vice President of AI Amid Push to Accelerate Innovation 
Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation 
Morgan Stanley Boosts Nvidia and Broadcom Targets as AI Demand Surges 
Nexperia Urges China Division to Resume Chip Production as Supply Risks Mount 
Baidu Cuts Jobs as AI Competition and Ad Revenue Slump Intensify 
Apple Alerts EU Regulators That Apple Ads and Maps Meet DMA Gatekeeper Thresholds 
Anthropic Reportedly Taps Wilson Sonsini as It Prepares for a Potential 2026 IPO 
Hikvision Challenges FCC Rule Tightening Restrictions on Chinese Telecom Equipment 
Australia Moves Forward With Teen Social Media Ban as Platforms Begin Lockouts 
Quantum Systems Projects Revenue Surge as It Eyes IPO or Private Sale 
Banks Consider $38 Billion Funding Boost for Oracle, Vantage, and OpenAI Expansion 
TikTok announced on Wednesday that it has been working on new features that aim to protect users from potentially harmful content. One of them will be the platform's own maturity rating system that will focus on preventing "overtly mature" videos from appearing on teenage users' For You Page.
"We are working to build a new system to organize content based on thematic maturity," TikTok developer ByteDance said in a blog post. The company added this would function similarly to age-based ratings for films, TV shows, and video games that determine if themes and depictions are inappropriate for certain age brackets.
TikTok said its version of maturity rating functionality would be available in the coming weeks. "We'll begin to introduce an early version to help prevent content with overtly mature themes from reaching audiences between ages 13-17," the social media giant said. Business research and consulting firm Forrester reported last November that 67 percent of U.S. teens ages 12 to 17 confirmed they are using TikTok every week.
TikTok will designate a maturity score on certain videos so that it will not appear on the For You Page for users under the age of 18. The company did not specify which types of content will be subject to review under the new system, and only said posts with "mature or complex themes" will be the ones affected. But one example TikTok provided is horror fictional scenes that may be deemed "too frightening or intense" for young viewers.
The initial version of TikTok's maturity rating system will focus on preventing teens from seeing inappropriate content. But the company plans on rolling out similar features for everyone on the platform. TikTok said it would introduce options with detailed content filters that will be available to anyone of any age using the app.
TikTok is also working on diversifying the types of content that appear on people's FYP, especially videos that tackle "well-being topics" like dieting, extreme fitness, and sadness. The company said these videos might not pose danger when viewed alone. But if users watch them repeatedly (a very likely scenario among social media app users), TikTok said these videos are "potentially problematic." TikTok confirmed it is working on improving the app's recommendations so that users would find fewer videos about these topics at a time.
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels
