“It’s hard to make friends later in life, but I’d made a great one in my 40s after a mutual friend connected us,” writes Diana Park. “We had a lot in common — both divorced and dedicated to our fitness and career goals. The first time we met, we bonded instantly and became close, fast friends. For two years, we talked weekly and made a lot of time to spend together, which isn’t easy when you’re a single mom and live 45 minutes away from each other. We meant a lot to each other.”

Then her friend ghosted her, and she had a decision to make.

— Kelly Faircloth, Executive Editor

When I was a teen, my family got a dial-up internet connection and my parents were learning about the internet in real time along with me. As far as I remember, they never set rules or talked to me about online safety.

Fast-forward to today, when my own 13-year-old is begging to join TikTok and I’m suddenly aware of how ill-equipped I feel to protect him. After all, we Millennials are the first generation to parent tweens and teens in these terminally online times, and there’s not much precedent to work with. That’s why it’s so important to talk about social media safety early and often.

To help you start this important conversation, we put together a guide for opening up a dialogue about TikTok. Read it here, and learn about TikTok’s four critical safety tools to keep younger users protected, plus get connected to other caregivers who are navigating the TikTok community together with their kids.

Amber Guetebier sets the scene: “Exuberant cheers are coming from my basement. I hear the teenage verbal equivalent of high-fives (‘Let’s go!’) and know that my 13-year-old son and his best friend just won the Battle Royale. If you had said things like ‘sandbox’ and ‘squad” to me two years ago, I would have thought you were talking about a playground and maybe the cops. But look at me now, the mother of a teenager who has come into possession of an Xbox.” So of course, she had to get herself an education on tween and teen online gaming spaces, pronto. And she’s sharing with the class today!