Ads on TikTok often blend in with regular content as users scroll through their feedfeedOn social media platforms, a user’s feed (home screen) is created by an AI system that predicts what you will find valuable and relevant based on what you have paid attention to, liked, shared, or interacted with. They also suggest popular content and ads in your feed., but they include text in the bottom left corner to indicate that they are sponsored posts. Sponsored content may also feature “TikTok Research” surveys, asking users if they have seen a specific brand during their time on the app.

Users can manage how certain data affects the ads they see through the privacy settings of their TikTok app.

Users need to be 13 years or older.*

Content created by those under 16 is not eligible to be shown in the For You feedFor You feedYour 'For You Feed' or what some users reference as your "FYP" (For You Page) is the main content page that users interact with while on TikTok. It utilizes a personalized recommendation system or AI to help you discover content, creators, and topics. Your For You feed takes into account your activity on the platform such as what you like, share, comment on, search for, the diversity of content, and what videos are trending..    

Content Levels  

There is some content allowed on TikTok that may contain mature or complex themes intended for older audiences. TikTok does have protections in place for users younger than 18, but the protections are only effective if youth input their real age when creating an account.

• Content Levels are designed to prevent this content from reaching audiences between ages 13-17.
• When TikTok detects a video containing overtly mature or complex themes, for example a scene from a horror movie, a content level will be allocated to the video. This helps prevent users under 18 from viewing it.
• This means they won't be able to see the video in searches, DM's, on account pages, or in the For You feed.  

Restricted Mode

• Restricted Mode limits exposure to content that may not be suitable for everyone, for example, because it contains mature or complex themes. Some features will be unavailable under Restricted Mode, such as the Following feed.
• Parents and guardians can turn on Restricted Mode for their teens through Family PairingFamily PairingA feature that allows parents/caregivers to link their accounts with their child’s account to monitor usage and activate various safety settings..  

*In the United States, TikTok does offer a separate TikTok-like experience for youth under the age of 13. When youth younger than 13 sign up for TikTok and enter their accurate date of birth, they will be automatically directed to an age-appropriate experience where they can:

• View the For You feed
• View the Discover feed
• LikeLikeA “like” is a button or feature on most social media platforms that allows users to express approval or agreement with a post or piece of content. posts
• Report posts

Important things to note if a user is under 13:

• Their account will automatically be private.
• They can create videos but can't post them. Any videos created will be stored on their personal device instead of being saved as a draft in their account.
• TikTok partners with Common Sense Networks to curate the For You and Discover feeds as a view-only experience, with videos that are age-appropriate and popular.

Safeguards for teen users   

• Accounts for teens under 18 are private by default. This limits who can followfollowUsers who like or choose to view another’s posts and content.  the account, view their videos, read their bio, and interact with their videos. 
• “Suggest Your Account to Others” is turned off by default. If turned on, teen accounts are also not recommended to adults. This safeguard works only if youth include their accurate age.
• No financial transactions. Teens can’t send or receive virtual gifts or buy or sell products on TikTok Shop.  

Additional safeguards for teens ages 13-15 

• No Duet and StitchDuet and StitchStitching and duetting are both features on TikTok that allow users to interact with their favorite creators and videos. Duets play your video side by side another’s video; stitches are videos shown in sequence, first the original clip and then your recording.. No one can Duet or Stitch videos published by an account of someone under 16. 
• No downloading their videos. This control is set to “Off” by default and can’t be changed, even if a teen chooses to have a public account. 
• Friends-only comment settings. Even with a public account, teens under 16 can’t change their comment permissions to allow ‘Everyone’ to comment on their content. 

• Users can filter hashtagshashtagsA # symbol followed by a word or phrase that categorizes content by topic. and keywords from their 'For You' feed. 
• Users can refresh their 'For You' feed if their recommendations no longer feel relevant and TikTok’s recommendation system will then begin to surface more content based on new interactions. 
• People can choose to automatically filter out videos that use specific hashtags or phrases from their 'For You' feeds, and say “not interested” to skip future videos from a particular creator or that use a particular sound.  
• Easy-to-use, in-app reporting for people to flag potentially violent content to TikTok’s moderators.  
• Users can report videos, other accounts, comments, hashtags, LIVE comments, LIVE videos, sounds, suggested searches, suspected underage TikTok accounts, or any other issues they feel are potentially violative. 

Direct Messages 

• Direct messagingDirect messagingA private message sent directly to a user and not posted publicly. Often called a DM for short. (DM) is only available to users 16 and older.   
• For users 16 and older, parents and guardians can restrict who, if anyone, can send private messages to the account with Family PairingFamily PairingA feature that allows parents/caregivers to link their accounts with their child’s account to monitor usage and activate various safety settings..   

Comment Settings 

• Friends-only comment settings. Even with a public account, teens under 16 can’t change their comment permissions to allow ‘Everyone’ to comment on their content.  

Account suggestions   

• “Suggest Your Account to Others” is turned off for all teens by default. If turned on, teen accounts are also not recommended to adults.

• Users aged 13-15 do not receive push notificationspush notificationsA short message from an app or platform that pops up on a phone’s main screen when the app is not being used. after 9 pm and users aged 16-17 have push notifications disabled starting at 10 pm. 
• All community members can set a sleep reminder for themselves, which, when reached, will remind them that it’s time to log off.  
• Through Family PairingFamily PairingA feature that allows parents/caregivers to link their accounts with their child’s account to monitor usage and activate various safety settings., parents can restrict push notifications to their teens during specific times. 

• Push notificationsPush notificationsA short message from an app or platform that pops up on a phone’s main screen when the app is not being used. are disabled from 9pm for teens under 16, and from 10pm for teens 16-17. 
• Parents can restrict push notifications to their teens during specific times through Family PairingFamily PairingA feature that allows parents/caregivers to link their accounts with their child’s account in order to monitor usage and activate various safety settings.. 

• In-app videos on TikTok encourage people to take a break from their phones and enjoy the world offline.
• Users can schedule screen time breaks to be reminded to take a break from using TikTok after a period of uninterrupted screen time. These settings can be changed by the user at anytime. If you reach a limit, you will get notified in the app to consider taking a break. 
  
  • If you hit “OK” on the reminder, you won’t be reminded again until your next app visit.
  • If you hit “Snooze,” it will restart the timer and remind you again in 10 minutes.

Family PairingFamily PairingA feature that allows parents/caregivers to link their accounts with their child’s account to monitor usage and activate various safety settings. allows a parent or guardian to link their TikTok account to their teen's account to directly manage a number of safety controls for their teen's account, including: 

• Account Privacy: Set their teen’s account to private or public.  
• Comments: Restrict who can comment on their teen’s videos. 
• Direct MessagesDirect MessagesA private message sent directly to a user and not posted publicly. Often called a DM for short.: Restrict who, if anyone, can send private messages to the account. 
• Daily Screen Limits: Set the amount of time spent on TikTok each day. 
• Screentime Dashboard: See their teen's time spent on TikTok. 
• Search Settings: Restrict their ability to search for content.  
• Push NotificationsPush NotificationsA short message from an app or platform that pops up on a phone’s main screen when the app is not being used.: Restrict push notifications to their teens during certain times. 
• Keyword Filters: Add hashtags or keywords they would prefer their teen not see in their For You feed recommendations. 
• STEM Feed: Ensure TikTok's STEM feed - a feed featuring videos related to science, technology, engineering, and math - is enabled on their teen's account. 

• For all teens, daily screen time is set to 60 minutes, which helps young people to be intentional about the time they spend on TikTok.
• Users over 18 can set time limits of their own. 
• Once the user has reached the time limit, they are then given the option to extend their time by: 1 more minute, 15 minutes or ignore limit for the day. If they select additional time, they are then given the option to close the app or enter an onscreen passcode to return to the app.
• Users also have the option to schedule a reminder to take a break after a period of uninterrupted screen time. Once the scheduled reminder appears on screen, the user has the option to either snooze the reminder or select "ok" which will make the alert disappear.

• TikTok Family Pairing Feature
• Safety and Privacy Protections for Teens on TikTok