TWINSBURG, Ohio — Each day, the digital landscape is changing as more information becomes available; so, how does one approach digital safety while still having fun?
“I think there’s a lot of interest in how we keep our teens safe online,” said Suzy Loftus, Head of TikTok US Data Security, Trust and Safety.
As technology continues to evolve, Loftus is working with community partners to create safe spaces to talk about digital safety and wellness, and what this means while using social media platforms like TikTok.
“We want to really support parents in having conversations with teens about what they’re worried about, let the teens talk about the great stuff that they see and find a way to ensure that the teen experience is a safe one,” said Loftus.
Some ways Loftus encourages parents to help their kids and teens safely express their creativity are to ask questions, set time limits and restrict search terms and content.
“At TikTok, we have something called family pairing, where an adult (parent or caregiver) can pair their account with their teens account,” said Loftus.
By taking steps to create safer and more supportive places on social media, Loftus hopes it’ll bring peace of mind, especially for parents like Cyndi Curt.
“A lot of times it’s the unknown and we’re fearful,” said Curt.
But after organizing Thursday’s event at Twinsburg High School on behalf of the district’s Parent-Teacher Association and National PTA chapters, Curt said she feels empowered and hopes other parents feel the same way, too.
“A lot of people have some misinformation on what social media can do and what they don’t know about how they can control different settings,” said Curt.
Even active users like Kierra Gerstenfeld said she didn’t know about some of these safety features.
“I had no idea that parents were so worried about their kids online. I just figured it was like a normal thing,” said Gerstenfeld.
Gerstenfeld said what she learned Thursday was helpful, and thanks the ‘Create with Kindness’ event organizers for their transparency.
“It’s a lot of more safety features I didn’t know about, and it makes me feel kind of like they actually care about our safety,” said Gerstenfeld.
‘Create with Kindness’ has more tours planned from now until the spring.
