TikTok will add an epilepsy warning to photosensitive movies

TikTok is including a brand new function that may assist individuals who have epilepsy to keep away from doubtlessly harmful photosensitive content material. The brief video platform already warns creators if their uploads comprise results that might set off photosensitive epilepsy, however now anybody who encounters an instance of their feed will get an alert that enables them to choose out of viewing such content material sooner or later. There’ll even be a toggle within the app’s accessibility settings.

The Epilepsy Basis of America says that 1 in 26 folks within the US will develop epilepsy in some unspecified time in the future, with a tenth of individuals being affected by seizures. Video content material that entails flashing lights and colours can set off seizures, so it’s necessary for folks to have the ability to management what they’re capable of see — significantly on a social platform like TikTok the place content material is actively pushed to customers by an algorithm.

Right here’s how the controls will seem within the app:

TikTok

“Whereas the inhabitants of these with photosensitive epilepsy is small, the influence could be fairly critical,” says Laura Thrall, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Basis. “It’s nice to see TikTok addressing this concern by making modifications to their platform so that individuals in our epilepsy neighborhood can really feel protected when viewing content material on TikTok. We’re proud to have labored with TikTok on this initiative and really recognize our continued collaboration.”

TikTok says it’s additionally been collaborating with epilepsy organizations in Europe, Japan, and South Korea who supplied suggestions on how the corporate might assist make the app safer. The function shall be obtainable within the “coming weeks,” in response to TikTok.