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Last summer, TikTok said it planned to form a \u201cyouth council\u201d of teens <\/a> the company as part of a broader push to beef up safety features for the app\u2019s youngest users. That group is now official, and they have already started meeting with the company, including CEO Shou Chew, the company <\/a>.<\/p>\n The announcement comes as TikTok is fighting a bill that would force parent company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban in the United States. As part of that effort, the company has tried <\/a> its users, many of them <\/a> to oppose the measure. TikTok\u2019s critics often cite <\/a> as one of the most significant risks posed by the app.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear if the newly-formed youth council will do much to counter that perception. But the company says the group has already influenced an upcoming media literacy campaign in the US that will \u201cfocus on misinformation, AI-generated content, and more.\u201d The council, made up of 15 teens from the US, UK, Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Morocco, has also weighed in on the app\u2019s \u201cyouth portal\u201d feature, which provides in-app privacy and security resources.<\/p>\n According to TikTok, the council is meant to advise on the safety policies and issues that often impact teens. The group also collaborates with UK online safety organization Praesidio Safeguarding, which helped select the council\u2019s teenage members, all of whom are paid, according to TikTok. The company notes that CEO Shou Chew attended the most recent meeting in February, when the youth council asked TikTok to share more details about how reporting and blocking work in the app.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s not yet clear how much, if any, influence TikTok\u2019s youth council will ultimately wield over the company\u2019s policies, it underscores just how important teens are to the platform. TikTok is one of the <\/a> apps among teens in the US, currently the company\u2019s largest market. The company has also leaned on them to oppose the bill that could lead to a ban of the app, though those efforts may have <\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n