Insider Spotlight
TikTok is expanding its efforts to promote safer and healthier online habits with the launch of its Time and Well-being Page, a new in-app space designed to help users, especially teens, engage with the platform more mindfully.
The initiative builds on TikTok’s broader strategy to support the safety and well-being of its community as digital platforms play a growing role in everyday life .
The new page brings together mindfulness practices, creator-led guidance, and interactive tools aimed at empowering users to take control of their digital experiences.
Rather than focusing on restrictions, TikTok says the features are meant to encourage balance, self-awareness, and intentional use.
Building mindful habits
During the press launch, Peachy Paderna, public policy manager for the Philippines at TikTok, said the new hub reflects the platform’s long-term approach to online safety.
“The Time and Well-being Page was created to give our community tools to engage mindfully with TikTok and develop digital habits that truly serve them,” said Paderna.
“These tools reflect TikTok's proactive approach to online safety, built on ongoing collaboration experts, to ensure that every user is able to enjoy a safe and personalized experience on the platform,” she added.
Accessible through account settings, the Time and Well-being Page features tools such as breathing exercises, calming sound generators, and an affirmation journal for setting daily intentions.
These are complemented by well-being missions, short interactive challenges designed to help users reflect on screen time, sleep routines, and overall digital behavior.
With teens making up a significant portion of its user base, TikTok has increasingly emphasized digital well-being as a shared responsibility between platforms, families, and communities.
The Time and Well-being Page reflects a shift toward embedding safety and wellness directly into the user experience.
Bea Bautista, head of communications for the Philippines at TikTok, reiterated that personal agency remains central to the platform’s message.
“People have to remember that you can take control of your social media experience. You can get off the app and take a break. These tools will really just help you remind yourself to be more mindful, be more intentional, and always remember that you have the agency to control how your experience is. You have the power to control yourself when it comes to being online,” she said in an interview with InsiderPH.
Expert perspective
Digital wellness advocate and psychologist Riyan Portuguez underscored the importance of tools that support mindful breaks, particularly for younger users.
“The digital space is already part of everyday life, especially for young people. That’s why having tools that encourage mindful breaks is so crucial,” said Portuguez during the panel discussion.
“Instead of restricting social media usage, a more sustainable approach is helping people manage their digital lives intentionally. Tools like TikTok’s Time and Well-being features help users, pause, reflect, and develop healthy digital habits,” she emphasized.
TikTok says the tools are guided by academic research and expert insights, reinforcing the idea that digital well-being should be built into the user experience rather than treated as an afterthought.
Looking ahead
As TikTok continues to grow in the Philippines, the company positions the Time and Well-being Page as part of a wider commitment to creating a safer, more intentional online environment.
By combining product features with expert collaboration and creator involvement, TikTok aims to support teens and families navigating digital spaces while preserving creativity and connection on the platform.
“Looking back, we focused a lot on partnerships that will really help keep our community safe. And for next year, I think that's what we're going to continue to focus on [creating] more partnerships with government agencies and other stakeholders, where we partner with the experts and with organizations that can really make a difference,” Bautista said. —Vanessa Hidalgo | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
