TikTok rolled out new teen safety defaults and nighttime screen limits on Wednesday in the United States and European Union. The changes, which include private profiles by default for users under 16 and a “wind down” feature after 10 p.m., aim to address regulatory concerns about minors’ online safety, according to company officials.

The company also restricts direct messaging, allowing only users 16 and older to send messages, with messaging turned off by default for 16- and 17-year-olds who must opt in to enable it. Video downloads from teen accounts are disabled by default for users aged 13 to 15, requiring explicit permission from the teen or a parent to allow downloads. Comment settings are similarly restricted, with most users aged 13 to 15 limited to comments from “Friends” rather than “Everyone,” according to TikTok’s announcements.

TikTok’s new teen safety defaults include setting profiles to private by default for users under 16, limiting their content visibility to approved followers unless the setting is changed, officials said.

In addition to these defaults, TikTok introduced a nighttime “wind down” feature that activates for users under 16 after 10 p.m., interrupting the For You feed with a full-screen prompt accompanied by calming music. If teens continue using the app, a second, more persistent full-screen message appears to encourage them to stop. The company also offers a Sleep reminders tool, which lets teens and parents set a bedtime start time; for teens, the default end time is fixed at eight hours later and cannot be changed, according to TikTok’s safety documentation. Through Family Pairing, parents can further manage their child’s TikTok use by scheduling “Time away” periods and push notification schedules to block access during designated times such as nighttime or school hours.

Family Pairing links a parent’s account with their teen’s, enabling adults to manage screen time, content limits, privacy settings, and nighttime use from their own devices, officials said. Parents initiate pairing by accessing Settings and privacy, selecting Family Pairing, and choosing the parent role; teens then scan a QR code or accept a link to connect accounts. Once linked, parents can set daily screen time limits that vary by day of the week, allowing for more or less usage on weekends or other days. They can also block TikTok access during specific periods, including night hours, school time, or family events. Content preferences can be adjusted to enable Restricted Mode, keyword filters, and a specialized STEM feed, while push notifications can be scheduled to remain off during certain hours.

TikTok’s teen privacy and safety settings impose stricter default controls on interactions for users under 18, particularly those aged 13 to 15. Duet and Stitch features are either disabled or limited to friends for younger teens, reducing the reuse of their content by strangers. The platform also restricts who can mention or tag teen users in videos and comments, with tighter defaults for younger users to minimize unwanted attention. Restricted Mode, which can be activated and passcode-protected, aims to limit exposure to inappropriate content. Keyword filters allow blocking up to 100 specific words or hashtags from appearing in feeds, supplemented by an optional Smart filter to catch related variations, according to TikTok’s safety resources.

TikTok maintains a dedicated Teen Safety Center and Youth Portal that provide tools, guides, and educational materials focused on privacy, reporting abuse, and digital wellbeing. Users can access these resources through Settings and privacy under Support and Safety Center. The company promotes educational content emphasizing that “accounts for teens start with safety,” including official videos explaining default private accounts and available safety tools. For teen creators, Creator Care Mode automatically filters inappropriate, offensive, or previously reported comments on their content to enhance their control over interactions.

Notification controls are also a key component of TikTok’s teen safety measures. Parents can use Family Pairing to configure push notification schedules that disable alerts during selected hours, commonly to prevent late-night disturbances. Teens and parents can also manage notifications within the teen’s account settings, turning off push notifications entirely or creating time-based schedules without Family Pairing. TikTok commits to age-appropriate notification practices in the European Union by reducing or disabling certain notifications for younger users during nighttime hours to support healthier sleep habits. These notification tools complement the wind down prompts and Sleep reminders to collectively reduce nighttime screen time for minors.

The rollout of these features comes amid increasing regulatory scrutiny in both the European Union and the United States over minors’ privacy, mental health, and the addictive design of social media platforms. TikTok frames its teen protections within compliance expectations under EU online safety and data protection rules, which emphasize “safety by design” for minors, according to the company’s EU Online Safety teen page. In the U.S., lawmakers and regulators have raised concerns about youth mental health, excessive screen time, and data collection on minors, prompting TikTok to highlight screen-time limits, nighttime wind-down prompts, and parental controls as part of its response. Company officials stated that the new Time Away and nighttime features provide caregivers with more control over when teens can access TikTok, addressing public and regulatory concerns about excessive and late-night use.

TikTok users sparked the “Never Dancing to Hannah Montana” meme this week by recreating the Hoedown Throwdown dance from *Hannah Montana: The Movie* in a series of videos. According to choreographer Jamal Sims, the meme features transitions based on his original choreography performed by Miley Cyrus, which users adapted into group performances as part of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Dance trend.

The meme centers on dance transitions inspired by Jamal Sims’ original choreography for *Hannah Montana: The Movie*, performed by Miley Cyrus in the 2009 film. Sims choreographed the Hoedown Throwdown routine, which includes a distinctive sequence of moves starting with the count-in “five, six, seven, eight,” followed by “pop it, lock it, per dot it, contra, hip hop it,” according to a detailed tutorial video posted on YouTube. The choreography continues with steps such as “put your hawk in the sky, side to side, jump to the left, stick it,” finishing with “three claps, one two three” and a “walk around for four counts,” as outlined in the instructional footage.

The TikTok meme, titled “Never Dancing to Hannah Montana,” features users recreating these transitions in group performances.

The trend is part of the larger Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Dance celebration, which has attracted approximately 14,000 views on related videos, according to records from the meme’s producers. The videos prominently feature dancers Chrissy, Jessica, Jess, Camille, Bella, Megan, Georgie, Cassie, Kelsey, and Jackie. Jackie, who produces the “Dance Meme Serie” focused on Hannah Montana dances, is credited with organizing the group performances and posting the meme series on social media platforms.

The choreography’s accessibility is emphasized in the beginner-friendly tutorial, which breaks down the routine into manageable segments starting with the initial counts and progressing to more complex moves at specific timestamps, such as “per dot it, contra, then hip hop it” at 4 minutes and 19 seconds, and “place that right leg down” before the claps at 7 minutes and 54 seconds. The final sequence of claps and walking steps is demonstrated at 8 minutes and 3 seconds. These instructional details have helped TikTok users replicate the dance with accuracy, contributing to the meme’s viral spread.

The original choreography was confirmed by Sims in his official tutorial video, while the meme videos feature lead performers Chrissy, Jessica, Jess, and Camille, with additional dancers Bella, Megan, Georgie, Cassie, and Kelsey participating in group segments. Production credits for the meme series go to Jackie, who maintains a presence on Twitter under the handle @jackiecelona. Other notable contributors include Jessica Celona (@JessicaCelona) and Chrissy Celona (@ccelona), who also appear in the videos. The meme’s online presence extends to Facebook through the page linked to JrcPr0ductions and to YouTube, where the dance series is available for subscription and viewing.

Visual media supporting the meme includes GIFs of the Hoedown Throwdown dance hosted on Tenor, facilitating sharing across conversational apps, and short-form clips that showcase the full routine. One such clip, titled “Hannah Montana dance – Hoedown Throwdowm,” has garnered 950 dislikes and 19 shares, indicating mixed reception but sustained engagement. The meme series video “Hoedown throwdown,” produced by JrcPr0ductions, further documents the trend’s growth on social media platforms.

The “Never Dancing to Hannah Montana” meme revives choreography from a 2009 film through modern digital platforms, reflecting ongoing interest in the Hannah Montana franchise during its 20th anniversary. While official TikTok statistics for the trend are not publicly available, the meme’s popularity is evident through YouTube views and social media interactions. The group synchronization of claps, walks, and signature “hawk” moves remains a focal point of the performances, preserving the original choreography’s structure within the viral adaptations.