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Zawya
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Zawya
TikTok launches ‘Family Academy' in the UAE to empower families with digital safety and wellbeing tools
Dubai, UAE – TikTok, the world's leading short-form video platform, hosted its Family Academy initiative in the UAE. The event brought together parents, creators, digital safety advocates, and experts to spotlight digital wellbeing, online safety tools, and positive digital habits for families navigating today's complex online environment. UAE's Family Academy event featured a dynamic panel discussion titled 'Empowering Families to Navigate the Online World Together,' offering expert insights from Ilunga Mpyana, Head of Public Policy Programs for the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Pakistan and South Asia at TikTok, and Dr. Jana Bou Reslan, educator and TikTok Changemaker, moderated by prominent parenting content creator Remie Salloum. The panelists explored prevalent themes in today's digital age including recognizing digital fatigue in teens, modeling mindful screen habits, co-curating positive and personalized digital experiences, and effectively using TikTok's safety tools, such as Screen Time Management, Content Filters, Family Pairing, Manage Topics, and Advanced Keyword Filtering, to support healthier digital boundaries and encourage open family conversations. Ilunga Mpyana, Head of Public Policy Programs for the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Pakistan and South Asia at TikTok adds, 'Our goal is to provide families with meaningful control and customizable features that not only encourage responsible online behavior but also foster creativity within a supportive community. This year alone, we've introduced over 15 new safety features to enhance our existing Family Pairing tools. TikTok's Community Guidelines form the backbone of our safety ecosystem, continuously evolving to stay ahead of emerging risks. Every time someone engages on TikTok, they're protected by a dynamic and ever-adapting framework designed to keep them safe.' The event showcased TikTok's latest safety feature enhancements designed to support family wellbeing. Many of these enhancements build on Family Pairing, a feature launched five years ago, which continues to evolve with input from families and digital safety experts. Key enhancements include: Time Away: Allows parents to decide when it's best for their teens to take a break (e.g., during dinner, study time, or bedtime). Teens can request extra time, but parents make the final decision. Privacy Controls: Parents can now view who their teen follows and who follows them on TikTok, along with accounts their teen has blocked. They can also manage who sees their teens' content, who can interact with them, and who can send them direct messages. Wind Down Mode: Teens under 18 who use the app after 10 PM will receive a full-screen reminder accompanied by calming music to help them unwind. A second reminder follows, harder-to-dismiss, full-screen prompt will appear if they continue scrolling. Screen Time Management: Parents can now set personalized reminders for teens to limit app usage throughout the day. Dr. Jana Bou Reslan emphasized the need for a proactive and thoughtful approach to how young people engage with technology. 'It's vital that we understand the psychological impact of screen time on our teens. By combining education with innovative safety tools, we can help teens develop healthier, more balanced relationships with digital content. The reality is, teens will be online, so let's focus on equipping them with the knowledge and support they need to navigate that space safely and responsibly.' Popular UAE-based content creator Remie Salloum opened up about her personal journey on the platform, sharing how she's intentional about creating content that's safe and inclusive for all audiences, especially as a parent. 'As a creator and a mother myself, it was important for me to take part in sessions like this to share my experiences and highlight how TikTok's safety features are helping families navigate the digital world more confidently and responsibly. It's a shared responsibility, and we all have a role to play in creating a safer online space for the next generation.' TikTok also highlighted its STEM Feed, which provides engaging educational material in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across more than 100 countries. Through these initiatives, TikTok continues to reinforce its role in fostering a safe, enriching, and creative digital environment for families, one grounded in mutual understanding and positive exploration. The event served as a platform for meaningful conversations around digital wellbeing, highlighting the importance of collaboration between platforms, parents, and communities to create a safer online environment. TikTok remains committed to empowering families with innovative tools, education, and ongoing support, fostering a digital space that encourages creativity, connection, and well-being for all. For more information on the Family Pairing features, please visit: About TikTok: TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and its offices include New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. For media inquiries, please contact: Current Global – tiktok@ TikTok MENA –
Khaleej Times
30-06-2025
- Khaleej Times
Safety without spying: How UAE parents can protect teens' online lives
For many parents, raising children in a digital-first world comes with new, unfamiliar challenges, especially when it comes to keeping their teenagers safe online without invading their privacy. While their kids navigate complex social platforms and endless content streams, parents often ask themselves: How can I guide them without crossing a line? That question is increasingly shaping how major platforms like TikTok and Snapchat are developing their safety features, not just to protect teens, but to help families create a shared understanding of digital wellbeing. 'It's not about spying,' Ilunga Mpyana, head of Public Policy Programmes for the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Pakistan, and South Asia at TikTok told Khaleej Times. 'It's about sharing your experience with your teenager. These tools are meant to trigger conversation, to ask, what are you experiencing? What are your concerns?' On TikTok, one of the main features designed to support this is Family Pairing, which allows parents to connect their accounts with their teen's. Once enabled, with the teen's knowledge and consent, parents can set screen time limits, apply content filters, monitor who their child follows or is followed by, and receive alerts when their teen reports harmful conten t. 'You're doing it together,' Mpyana said. 'It's about experiencing the platform together, not surveilling it.' Snapchat, too, is refining its approach to teen safety by relaunching its Family Safety Hub, a redesigned platform aimed at helping parents better understand and support their children's digital habits. The language has shifted, from 'Parents Site' to 'Family Hub', to signal that safe online behavior is a shared responsibility between adults and teens. One of the key features of Snapchat's family hub allows parents to see who their teen is communicating with, without giving access to the actual content of those conversations. This balance, between oversight and autonomy, is part of a wider effort to build trust rather than tension. 'From the start, Snapchat was designed as a safe and private platform, making user safety a fundamental priority,' said Jawaher Abdelhamid, head of Public Policy for the Middle East and Africa at Snap Inc. 'The Family Safety Hub reflects our commitment to empowering families across the region with the tools they require to make what they believe are the right choices for their teens, all while still respecting young Snapchatters' privacy.' New additions to the Hub include simplified FAQs, feature walkthroughs, downloadable guides, and embedded educational videos that are regularly updated to keep pace with the platform's evolution. But as useful as these tools are, mental health experts say technology is only part of the equation. Dr Jana Bou Reslan, a lecturer in educational psychology and content creator, believes safety starts with communication, not control. 'Digital space is a part of their world now,' she said. 'It's not just about how long they're online, but how they're using it. Are they passively scrolling, or are they actively learning?' She encouraged parents to engage with their teens' interests instead of imposing limits in isolation. 'Use the platforms together. Build connections, share ideas. The goal isn't restriction; it's guided exploration.' Still, many teens keep their digital experiences private, not because they have something to hide, but because they fear being judged, punished, or misunderstood. 'Teens are exploring who they are,' Bou Reslan said. 'They seek validation and identity online. If a parent responds with power or punishment instead of understanding, it deepens the secrecy.' She recommended looking out for signs like sudden withdrawal, changes in school performance, or a shift in how protective they are of their devices. 'Say, 'Hey, I noticed you've been quiet lately. Is there something on your mind?' Share your own struggles. Make it a dialogue, not a confrontation.' Ultimately, platforms may provide the tools, but the most important work happens at home, through trust, empathy, and honest conversations. 'We're not just protecting them from the internet,' Bou Reslan said. 'We're teaching them how to exist in it with confidence and care.'
