Here’s what to know about the changes and their potential effects.
TikTok Announces Changes to Live
TikTok announced on October 17, 2022 that they will be making several changes to livestreaming on the platform. The company released a statement on the TikTok Newsroom explaining that Live will be seeing a transformation of sorts over the final months of 2022. There is a lot said in the statement, but most users only have to worry about a few main points.
The degree and manner in which they change your Live experience will depend on a variety of demographic and use factors. So what are some of the biggest updates?
1. Multi-Guest Live Videos
You probably already know that two people can livestream together on TikTok, but this feature has expanded to include up to five people on the same Live video. Users can already try this out in the app. Livestreamers will also have additional settings to make their Live videos more interesting including stickers.
Adding a safety element, comment filters and moderators are more new options livestreamers will be able to use.
2. Minimum Age Increase
Starting November 23, no one under the age of 18 will be able to host a Live video on TikTok. The 16 and 17-year-olds who currently use Live will have the feature taken away.
3. Comment Keyword Filter Suggestions
You can block or hide comments containing certain words on your Live. But TikTok is starting to create a feature where the app will suggest keywords to filter based on the ones you’ve already entered. This will help keep comment sections safe for both the creator and audience.
Why Is TikTok Updating Live?
TikTok needs its creators to be the great entertaining app that it is. This especially applies to its livestreamers, who bring in ad revenue for the company. These updates help make Live safer and more fun for those creators.
The push for Live is obvious to creators. The company has also launched new guides in the TikTok Creator Portal for hosting good Live videos.
First, multi-guest Live videos allow creators to get together in a snap, combining their audiences for a more popular livestream. This helps the creators get more popular and TikTok gain more users. Streams with more people are also just more entertaining, so everyday users also benefit from this feature.
The increase in the minimum age helps keep minors safe online, who are unfortunately often targets of scams, cyberbullying, and other malicious behavior. Hosting a Live can put your face right in front of a lot of strangers, so it is safest to leave it to the adults. Younger teens who have created a following by going live on TikTok will need to pivot their strategy.
These updates also help creators by protecting them from violent or hateful comments. Keeping creators feeling safe and comfortable ensures that they stay creating content on the app. It also helps other viewers feel safe when they don’t have to see violent comments towards their favorite creators, so they will watch more Live videos on TikTok.
TikTok Is Pushing Livestreams Further
All of these changes are in a collective effort to make TikTok Live videos more appealing to both creators and audience members. TikTok really wants to get more hosted on the app and more users watching them. This will help the company make more money.
Giving creators and users both safety and more entertainment will make these videos a bigger part of the app. At least, that is what TikTok is hoping. Users will have to wait and see if these changes actually have a positive effect or not.
