The usage of social media has grown significantly after the pandemic, causing the screen times to reach new heights. Social media screen time has skyrocketed especially in and after Covid-19.
According to the Healthy Journal, During the pandemic, children’s average daily screen time climbed by 1.5 times, going from a pre-pandemic baseline of 162 minutes per day to 246 minutes per day. Additionally, between 2019 and 2021, teenagers and preteens increased their overall screen usage by 17%, which is a sharper percentage of growth than the previous four years.
Moreover, what’s alarming is, the Tweens aged 8 to 12 had an average daily screen time of 5 hours and 33 minutes, up from 4 hours and 44 minutes in 2022, while teenagers aged 13 to 18 had an average daily screen time of 8 hours and 39 minutes, up from 7 hours and 22 minutes.
Furthermore, according to a report by Data Reportal, In comparison to the daily average, the internet user currently spends more than two and a half hours per day on social networks, showing a 2% (+3 minute) rise in 2022. According to statistics, screen use has climbed by 17% in the last two years, which is greater than the growth witnessed in the preceding four years.
TikTok’s screen time and usage
TikTok is available in over 150 countries, has over 1 billion users, and has been downloaded over 210 million times in the United States alone. The percentage of U.S.-based TikTok users by age:
- 10-19 – 32.5%
- 20-29 – 29.5%
- 30-39 – 16.4%
- 40-49 – 13.9%
- 50+ – 7.1%
All data via ComScore
This shows the majority of the users are from the age group 10-19. Average Minutes Per User spent on the platform is whopping 95 minutes per day (over 1.5 hours). According to estimates an average user opens the TikTok app 8 times per day.
TikTok’s screen time limit
TikTok has implemented new time limitations in order to prevent young people from spending too much time on the app. As mentioned above the majority of the demographic that uses TikTok is between 12-19.
When young individuals under the age of 18 use the app for more than 60 minutes in a single day, the restriction is reached. If they have, a prompt will appear informing them of the fact.
It will not expressly prohibit them from using the software. Instead, they’ll need to input a passcode to continue. Users will also be encouraged to use TikTok’s screen time features, which can help individuals be more mindful of how frequently and for how long they use the app. It also has additional features, such as a weekly message that will be given to users with information on how often they have used the app.
However, yet they have already been criticised for not going far enough: they do not really shut children out, but instead only ask them whether they want to continue watching. Furthermore, if young individuals can create their own accounts, they may simply lie about their age and circumvent the limits.
How to Bypass TikTok’s screen limit
TikTok provides simple solutions for individuals who are keen to avoid the functionality. Inputting the screen time passcode that you (or your parents or guardians) have established is an easy technique to get around the TikTok screen time limit.
Another, is by simply altering the date and time settings on their smartphone, individuals are circumventing the screen time limit. Users may deceive the app into thinking they haven’t met their daily restriction by changing their device’s clock ahead, allowing them to use the app over the time limit.
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) may also be used to alter the user’s location. While the screen time limit option is only available in select countries, this approach may work. The app may be accessed without the time limit feature activated by utilising a VPN to make it look as if the user is in a different location.
