Starting from Tuesday, TikTok is rolling out changes to accounts for users under 16 years old to align with the Digital Child Statute (ECA Digital) in Brazil. The platform has announced that profiles of these young users will be switched to a private setting, which can only be altered with parental consent via email or SMS. If such consent is not provided, the young individuals' posts will be protected from public view.

The new regulations include several key points: accounts of users under 16 years, which were already automatically set to private, will remain in that configuration. Only individuals approved by the adolescent will be able to follow and see their content. Additionally, the accounts will not be suggested to contacts from the user's phone or Facebook friends, effectively limiting their visibility in the wider social network. The settings for who can see liked posts will also default to 'Only Me,' ensuring that other users cannot view the posts that an adolescent has liked on their profile.

These changes reflect a growing emphasis on protecting the privacy of minors online, especially in social media contexts. As countries like Brazil tighten regulations surrounding digital interactions for younger audiences, such measures by TikTok may set a precedent for other platforms to follow, highlighting the ongoing challenge of balancing social connectivity with user safety. This initiative could also influence discussions on digital literacy and online responsibility among young users and their guardians in the digital age.