Children's rights and social media: An analysis of TikTok's Terms of Service through the lens of a young user

The twenty-first century has seen immense changes in technology and globalization, with children born into this digital age not knowing what life is like without the internet, mobile devices, and smart technology. Literature on children and social media cannot keep up with popular apps' rapid evolution and the changing digital landscape in which children are now active participants. One such explosively popular app, TikTok, is explored in this policy analysis to determine its Terms of Use and Privacy Policy in regards to children's rights, protections, and their agency. This policy analysis will discuss TikTok's platform and rise to global popularity in a Background section, following a critical review of the app's Terms of Service and Privacy Policies to answer this question: What does TikTok's policy show about child rights, child protection, and children's agency in 2019? The UN General Assembly Convention on the Rights of the Child will be used as a framework to analyze TikTok's policies regarding young users.Ope