TikTok is telling users to stop scrolling and ditch the app in a bid to curb smartphone addiction.
Influencers with thousands, and in some case millions, of followers, make videos that are posted and promoted by the account @TikTokTips, which is run by the site.
The videos feature earnest pleas from internet celebrities talking about the benefits of logging off and putting the phone down — including suggestions the tech-focused users should consider venturing outside,
TikTok is telling users to get off the app and stop scrolling in a bid to curb smartphone addiction, Influencers with thousands, and in some case millions, of followers, make videos that are posted and promoted by the account @TikTokTips, which is run by the site (file photo)
@TikTokTips videos is part of an initiative run by the Chinese-run video-sharing social media platform called ‘You’re in Control’.
Influencers recruited to the cause include Gabe Erwin, Alan Chikin Chow, James Henry, and Cosette Rinab – between them they have around seven million followers.
A user known only as Leanna told Input magazine, which first reported the news, that the feature is unlike anything seen on Instagram or YouTube.
She said: ‘It’s interesting because I’ve never seen any other platform do something like that.
‘I’d been on TikTok for at least two hours, on and off, and I thought it was funny and kind of sweet that they cared and did that.
‘I definitely spend too much time on it,’ she says.
TikTok is wildly popular with children and young adults due to the bitesize, easily digestible content the app specialises in.
And this latest feature to encourage people to restrict their screen time might be to avoid the past mistakes of some competitors that are longer in the tooth.
YouTube, seven years the senior of TikTok, experienced significant backlash over its lack of willingness to combat addiction, especially among children.
Companies such as YouTube and TikTok rely on users scrolling through the feed regularly and for long periods of time.
The push to educate users is a move echoed throughout the industry, with myriad apps that track and monitor screen time being developed.
Influencers recruited to the cause to encourage young users to stop scrolling include Gabe Erwin, Alan Chikin Chow, James Henry, and Cosette Rinab – between them they have around seven million followers
Few, however, implement physical restrictions. Instead opting to appeal to the user directly and urge them to cut themselves off.
Some experts believe this is a form of virtue signalling by TikTok, including Colin Gray from Purdue University.
He told Input: ‘This latest development is perhaps a good example of social media apps wanting to have their cake and eat it too.
‘They first build knowingly addictive patterns into the core of their app, then add patterns that, while quite paternalistic, also make it seem as if they are being good internet citizens.’
MailOnline has approached TikTok for comment.
Last week, TikTok launched another feature to protect children, called Family Safety Mode.
Parents can use the system to control how long children spend on TikTok each day, limit or turn off direct messaging and rebuff potentially inappropriate content.
The company said the changes are aimed at helping its users ‘have a healthy relationship with online apps and services’.
‘When people use TikTok, we know they expect an experience that is fun, authentic, and safe,’ said Cormac Keenan, TikTok’s head of trust and safety in Europe.
‘As part of our commitment to safety, the wellbeing of our users is incredibly important to us.
‘We want people to have fun on TikTok, but it’s also important for our community to look after their wellbeing which means having a healthy relationship with online apps and services.’
Family Safety Mode and Screentime Management in Feed are available to TikTok users in the UK already and are currently being rolled out to other regions around the world.