September 17, 2024, 8:04 am | Read time: 3 minutes
What has long been an integral part of the messenger WhatsApp is now also making its way onto TikTok. The video platform recently expanded its offering to include the option of group chats, among other things. However, there are restrictions for certain users. TECHBOOK reveals what you need to know about the new feature.
Group chats are both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, they may have the advantage that you can send messages to several friends or family members at once, for example. On the downside, the constant jingling of incoming messages can also be a bit annoying. Fortunately, WhatsApp allows you to mute group chats. Incidentally, this is also possible on TikTok, where the group chat function has only just been introduced.
TikTok introduces group chats – how to use the function
You can find out more on the TikTok support page. Thanks to this new feature, you can have a conversation with up to 31 other people and watch videos together, for example. If it gets out of hand, you can take advantage of the option to mute or block other users or report messages and chats. The procedure is explained on the page.
You can create a group chat either via the chat function or directly via your contact list. The “More options” selection allows you to select friends and invite them to the group. Now just tap on “Start group chat,” and that’s it.
Another new feature is that users can now design their own stickers – provided they are old enough. These stickers are then available to the entire community. Everyone else can use and send the various stickers already available.
Restrictions you should be aware of
You can only add contacts to group chats if you are “friends” with them on TikTok, i.e., if they follow you and you follow them yourself. This means that you can only join a group chat if at least one person from your friends list is a member. The number of groups that a person can create is limited, as is the number of possible message forwards.
Furthermore, the new function is only available to users over the age of 16. The situation is similar for direct messages. With TikTok, these may only be sent from registered accounts whose owners are over the age of 16. “Parents and legal guardians can set restrictions for this function via the supervised mode,” it says on the TikTok website.
Additional protective functions also apply to 16 to 17-year-olds in group chats. For example, they cannot simply be added to a group, but must agree proactively. And if they create a group chat themselves, they must actively approve each new participant themselves, according to the platform. At this point, it should perhaps be said that there are relatively simple ways to cheat your way around the age limit. For example, users could enter a false age when registering.
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Be careful with your data
The ongoing criticism of the platform should also not be ignored. It is assumed that the Chinese internet group Bytedance, to which TikTok belongs, collects vast amounts of information via the video platform. Handelsblatt calls it a “data vacuum cleaner of biblical proportions.”
With material from dpa