Likee, VK Video and RUTUBE: the feeds kids open once TikTok is limited

How the three apps differ

Likee works like TikTok: short vertical videos, a feed picked for your interests, and tools to film and post your own. In September 2024, Ekaterina Mizulina, head of Russia's Safe Internet League, called Likee the most dangerous platform for children and said the League had sent a complaint to the regulator Roskomnadzor. We cite this as the view of an organization that works on child safety. It is not a regulator's decision.

VK Video and RUTUBE are closer to video hosting: long videos, series, playlists and separate feeds of short clips. A child can spend an evening on cartoons there and just as easily slip into a feed that never ends.

All three share one trait: an algorithm picks the next video, and it starts without a pause. That is why a time limit works better than blocking individual videos.

Why a TikTok limit alone is not enough

If you limit only TikTok, your child can open a neighboring app with the same kind of feed. To limit TikTok itself, read limiting TikTok. The point here is to count time across all the feeds together.

In practice, that means one shared budget for all feeds. For example, one hour a day for all video together instead of an hour for each app.

How to limit feeds in Gardion

In Gardion you set a limit in minutes per app. There is no single limit for all feeds, so set a limit on each app separately.

1. In the parent app, open the list of apps on your child's phone.

2. Find TikTok, Likee, VK Video, RUTUBE and YouTube. Each shows how many minutes it ran today.

3. Set a limit for each. If you want one hour for all feeds, split it, for example 20 minutes each for three apps. You can also set a daily limit for the whole phone: one hour means one hour across everything.

4. A new video app your child installs later will appear in the list. Check the list once a week.

If an app has no use for your child, such as Likee, use a block. The difference is explained in the guide to blocking apps.

Video also plays in a browser. Add the site addresses you want to close to Specific sites, and the rule works in every browser at once. We cover YouTube separately in parental controls in YouTube.

What to discuss with your child

- A feed is built never to end. Even adults find it hard to stop on their own. - In Likee and similar apps, a child can film and post videos. Agree that they don't show their face, school or address, and don't accept strangers as followers. - If something unpleasant shows up in the feed, your child should know you won't punish them and will sort it out together.

For why short videos hook kids so well, see our pieces on short attention span and the dopamine pit.

Where to start

1. Open the weekly report and find every video app, not only TikTok.

2. Decide on one budget for feeds and split it between the apps.

3. Set the limits and a bedtime.

4. Talk with your child about the rules.

You can install Gardion on a phone with the install guide. The first 14 days include every feature, no card needed. A fix usually ships in an update within one or two days of your report.

Sources

Checked on November 7, 2026.

- Moskva 24, September 24, 2024: Mizulina on Likee