Apple Thinks TikTok is Not Perfect Fit for Teens

During the first week of November, in a private letter Apple warns TikTok that the platform was not suitable for young teenagers, remarks that signal continued debate about the app’s effects on young people.

According to court filings from a state lawsuit against TikTok filed on October 8, 2024, Apple advised the ByteDance-owned company to raise its App Store age rating from 12+ to 17+, in relation with Apple warning TikTok that their app contains “frequent or intense mature or suggestive content.”

This is all part of growing demands from lawmakers and regulators to show more accountability from social media companies over their content and its impact on young users, resulting in the latest shift where Apple warns TikTok over the platform’s unfit content.

Even though TikTok has been restricting safety measures, in this specific case, by bringing in age restrictions and implementing screentime limits, concerns about how well it protects its younger audience still lingers.

Growing Actions Against TikTok

With the pileup of state lawsuits against TikTok and now Apple to remove TikTok, safety advocates are heightening demands for any mistake on the platform. Zamaan Qureshi, an associate with Accountable Tech stated that “the evidence should concern every parent, young person, lawmaker and regulator in the United States.”

Qureshi continued to add that without new child safety laws for online platforms, lawsuits are becoming “the only accountability measures left” to measure the possible harm that led to the reason why Apple warns TikTok.

On the first week of October 2024, Attorney General Russell Coleman from Kentucky filed a lawsuit against TikTok for “exploiting children for profit.”

Coleman expressed concerns over the children’s’ mental and physical wellbeing and stated that “if we don’t hold TikTok accountable, our children will suffer the very real consequences.”

In response, Alex Haurek, a spokesperson for TikTok, the protection of the platform is a priority given the evidence and the accusations rely on misleading quotes and old news. He cancelled out how far TikTok had gone with efforts to ensure safety through proactive family pairing and privacy settings that help regulate young users on the app. However, reports of harmful content continue to be brought up on the app, raising concerns such as will apple remove TikTok?

Can Apple Be More Involved?

With Apple thinking out loudly in public, the assumption of how likely is TikTok getting removed from Apple store and banned form the US and keeps growing. Apple’s concerns bring fresh view into their threat that if TikTok doesn’t comply, it will be assumed that such an application might be removed from the App Store and cut off access for millions of American users.

When Apple warns TikTok over its compliance with its App store guidelines it means that it could extend beyond the US. The tech giant’s influence on TikTok’s app availability, as well as distribution, may very jeopardize the video sharing platform’s presence in other countries, specifically the European Union (EU).

The future of TikTok now hangs on whether TikTok will make the “necessary changes” that align with App Store guidelines.

Yet, experts like Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, is still raising concerns over TikTok’s algorithm and how it can amplify inappropriate content for users under the age of 17, such as the Israeli war on Palestine. It is worth nothing that such content spread on TikTok create a worldwide awareness on the Palestinian cause and used to educate Americans on the current situation in the middle east.

In a report last December, Ahmed said TikTok’s algorithm is able to rapidly present harmful content-including self-harm suggestions to vulnerable users.

“The algorithm recognizes vulnerability and maximizes time on the platform for that child by serving them up content that might trigger some of the pre-existing concerns,” he stated.

Final Thoughts

Is TikTok getting removed from Apple store is the new one-million-dollar question with Apple labeling the video sharing platform as “unfit” for users under 17. The consequences that the application will face are big and this is why they would have to adjust to the rules and regulations of the App store, or else they will lose.

The next move for this app may be critical in the way it sustains its position as a huge platform for younger users, or if it would eventually come under strict regulation from the App store which will lead to worldwide bans.

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