However, recent legal analysis in the United States has brought questions to the app’s future. The recent headlines suggest concerns about national security and data privacy. Using VT Writer, we uncovered another intriguing aspect of TikTok’s policies: its reading level.
According to The Literacy Project, the average American reads at the 7th to 8th grade level. VT Writer reveals that TikTok’s current Privacy Policy reads at a reading level of 13.4. This is the same as that of a college freshman. TikTok has over one billion users and 25% are between the ages of 10 and 19. This raises the question, should platforms like TikTok have requirements around writing standards? Many other sectors enforce plain language guidelines. Should they present their policies in language that is digestible to those at or below the eighth-grade level?
The grade level raises concerns about TikTok’s choices. It seems wrong to create a document that’s too hard for the average person to understand. In this case, it hinders users’ ability to understand the result of their signup. This leads to broader questions about social media platforms being responsible for how they write to their users.
Why the high reading level? It’s not legal or technical speak. The policy currently consists of over 50% long sentences, defined as those containing 25 words or more. This presents an opportunity for a simple improvement. By splitting lengthy sentences or incorporating bullet points, they could elevate both the readability and quality of the document.
Simplifying language can be challenging. VT Writer shows the value of scoring with objective metrics when writing for your customers. The recent news about TikTok’s policies goes beyond just security and privacy issues. It raises concerns about trust and clarity. Are they thinking about how they communicate with their users? This makes us think about what companies should prioritize when it comes to their customers.
