TikTok’s data policies are shifting

Hey friends, 

January is FINALLY over!! Queue the confetti cannons

If you’re anywhere near us in Toronto… you know January didn’t end so much as it crawled away slowly while whispering, “See you tomorrow.”

We had a record snowfall (like… the kind where you start naming your shovel and bribing your kids to clear the walkway one more time), and we swear we’re still digging out. So basically, January felt like 243 days.

So yes, bring on the love month! Bring on the tiny joys. Bring on the “I can see the sidewalk again” energy. Bring on anything that isn’t another wet mitten mystery in the front hall.

—Cat & Nat

Snapchat’s upgraded parental controls

Snapchat just upgraded parental controls and honestly… it’s more useful than we expected (but it still doesn’t solve everything).

Snap’s Family Center got a pretty significant update in late January. Parents can now see how much time their teen is spending on Snapchat and what that time is spent doing (chatting/snapping, camera, Snap Map, Spotlight/Stories). Plus, when your teen adds a new friend, Family Center can show how they might know them (mutual friends, contacts, communities). Importantly: this is designed to give you insight without reading private messages or having access to disappearing content.

We like that these updates give us the conversation fuel that’s not just “GIVE ME YOUR PHONE” or peering over their shoulder to try to catch a glimpse. It helps us spot patterns and offers a less abrasive way to discuss the contacts they’re interacting with. It feels a bit more collaborative. 

Parental controls are great but let’s not pretend Snapchat suddenly became a child development program. These apps are designed to keep kids hooked, not grounded.

So we use the tools, sure, but we don’t trust them blindly. The most powerful setting is still: a relationship where your kid can come to you when something feels off, embarrassing, scary, or confusing without thinking you’re going to hit the red “DELETE THEIR ENTIRE LIFE” button.

TikTok’s new owners and how it impacts your data

TikTok’s U.S. operations have transitioned into a new entity called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, with a majority American-owned structure and U.S. user data protected in Oracle’s U.S. cloud environment

Here’s the part you’ll care about: alongside the ownership shakeup, TikTok’s updated policies has raised fresh concerns because the platform’s privacy language now more explicitly covers things like:

• Precise location collection if location services are enabled

• AI tool interactions (including prompts/questions/files and AI-generated responses) being collected/stored under the policy language.

• Plus there is ongoing anxiety about broader categories of personal data described in updated terms/policy language (including sensitive personal data categories referenced in coverage).

Our kids don’t read privacy updates. They hit “Accept” like it’s a dopamine button. And precise location + AI prompts + a massive platform in political/legal turbulence is basically a perfect storm for oversharing, normalizing always-on tracking, and feeding personal info into tools they treat like a diary.

Tonight’s move: do a quick TikTok settings check with your kids. Make sure location sharing is disabled (unless there’s a specific reason it’s on), and they understand that anything typed into an AI tool can be stored.

Want to know where to start? Start with the apps.

With everything going on around social media, privacy, and what platforms collect, a parent’s best defence is knowledge. When we understand which apps actually matter most to our kids (and which ones come with major red flags) we can have better conversations, set smarter boundaries, and catch issues earlier.

So here’s your shortcut. Here’s what we cover in the Screen Sense Guide:

This winter is doing the most, and our skin is responding accordingly. Between the freezing air outside plus blasting heat inside, our faces are basically like: Excuse me… where is the moisture???

So we’re sharing something we’re genuinely obsessed with right now: Cosmette Skincare’s Winter Skin Rescue Bundle. It’s a simple little two-step ritual designed to cleanse + replenish without wrecking your skin barrier (aka: the vibe for February).

It’s on sale while supplies last so if your skin needs a drink, grab yours here!

Catch you next week!

—Cat & Nat