TikTok readies adult-only live streams with new round of testing

What you need to know

TikTok is testing a feature that will allow people to prevent under 18s from watching their live streams.
The option will now allow content to be streamed if it violates exiting TikTok policies.
The new setting only applies to live streams.

You still won’t be able to stream anything that goes against TikTok’s policies, though.

TikTok is testing a new setting that will allow people to limit their live streams to people who are 18 or older, according to reports.

The change would give people the option to prevent anyone who is under age from being able to see their live stream, with a message warning them that “only viewers 18 and above can see” content that has the option enabled according to a TechCrunch report based on screenshots shared by Watchful.ai.

In those screenshots, we see an option to enable “Mature Themes,” although TikTok does still notify content creators that anything that breaks community guidelines will be removed — policies currently cover nudity, violence, and sexual activity.

This new option is currently only available to a limited number of users as part of an ongoing test, but it seems likely that one of the best iPhone apps for sharing and watching videos will soon give creators new powers to block underage people from viewing their content. The setting only currently appears to relate to TikTok’s live streams, however.

TikTok has long been popular among kids and adults alike and an option like this is an important addition, although it isn’t clear when it will be enabled for all. Creators can prevent minors from accessing live streams that are suited to adult audiences — so long as they don’t break those policies — in a way that is handled by TikTok itself at the flick of a single switch when beginning the stream.