With over 1 billion monthly active users as of 2021, TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. The short-form video app allows users to watch, create, and share videos on any topic imaginable. From dance trends to comedy skits to political commentary, TikTok offers an endless stream of entertainment.
But with all those videos comes a high volume of user comments and engagement. So can your friends see the comments you leave on TikTok videos? Let’s take a look at how TikTok comments work and your options for controlling comment privacy.
What Are TikTok Comments?
TikTok comments allow users to interact with videos posted on the platform. When watching a video, users can tap the comment icon on the right side of the screen to open the comments section. This allows them to view existing comments from other users and post their own reactions, thoughts or questions about the video.
Comments on TikTok videos are public by default. This means that any user who views the video can also see all the comments posted on it. However, TikTok offers options to make comments private or limit them to friends only (more details below).
Users can like, reply to, or delete their own comments. Video creators can also like comments, pin comments to the top of the section, filter comments, or turn off commenting entirely. Overall, the commenting features on TikTok enable engaging back-and-forth discussion around video content.
Default Comment Settings
TikTok’s default settings allow everyone to comment on videos posted to public accounts. For users ages 13-15, comments are restricted to only people the user follows on TikTok (“Comment control set to Followers”) according to TikTok’s support page. For users 16 and over, the default is set to “Everyone” so anyone on TikTok can comment.
TikTok made this change to the default settings for teen accounts in early 2021, restricting comments to only followers in order to provide more privacy and safety for younger users per an article from The Verge. Prior to this update, the default was set to “Everyone” for users of all ages.
So in summary, TikTok now defaults teen accounts ages 13-15 to have comment privacy, while users 16+ have public commenting enabled. But all users have the ability to customize these settings.
Making Comments Private
If you want to make your comments on TikTok private so only certain people can see them, there are a few easy steps you can take:
1. Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page.
2. Tap on the three-dot menu icon in the upper right corner.
3. Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
4. Choose “Privacy” and then tap on “Comments.”
5. Under the “Who can comment on my videos” section, change the setting from “Everyone” to “Friends.”
With this setting changed, only your friends will be able to see the comments you leave on other videos. Other TikTok users will not see your comments (TikTok Newsroom).
You can also choose the strictest option, “Off,” which prevents anyone except you from seeing your comments. Keep in mind that disabling comments means you won’t be able to interact with anyone through comments.
If you want to make just certain comments private, you can hold down on a comment and select “Hide from viewers” (TikTok Help Center). This will make that individual comment visible only to you.
With TikTok’s granular comment controls, you can decide exactly who gets to see the comments you leave on the platform.
Comments on Friends’ Videos
When you comment on a friend’s video on TikTok, your comment will be visible to others who view that video. By default, all comments left on videos are public and can be seen by anyone unless the account owner has restricted settings.
So if you leave a comment on your friend’s public TikTok video, it will be visible to all viewers of that video, not just your mutual friends. Your friend will also get a notification that you commented.
According to a Reddit user, if you follow someone on TikTok, their comments will appear at the top of the comments section when you view their videos. So your friends can easily see comments you’ve left on their videos.
There is no setting to privately comment on a friend’s public videos. The only way to control comment privacy as the commenter is to have a private account, which makes all your activity private including comments. With a private account, only approved followers can see your comments.
So in summary, unless you have a private account, your friends can see any comments you leave on their public TikTok videos. Leaving comments on friends’ videos means accepting that they and anyone else can view it.
Comments on Your Own Videos
The comments left on your own videos on TikTok depend on your account and comment settings. By default, all comments are public, meaning anyone can view and reply to comments on your videos. However, you can change your settings to control who can comment.
In your account’s privacy settings, you can select:
- Friends: Only people you approve as friends can comment on your videos
- Everyone: All TikTok users can view and leave comments (default setting)
So if your account is set to the default “Everyone” option, all comments on your videos will be public. Both followers and non-followers will be able to see all the comments. This also applies to your friends – they can see all public comments left on your videos.
The only exception is if you have a private TikTok account. Private accounts allow only approved followers to see videos and comments. So friends who are not approved followers would not see private account comments.
You can also turn off commenting on individual videos in the “Advanced Settings” when posting. This will disable all comments on that video.
To summarize, friends and followers can view and reply to comments on your public videos. But you can restrict comments to only friends with the right privacy settings.
Comments on Strangers’ Videos
When you comment on a video from someone you don’t follow on TikTok, your comment will be public by default. This means that anyone who views that video will be able to see your comment.
TikTok allows users to turn off comments on their videos completely if they wish. If comments are turned off on a video, you will not be able to comment at all. The video creator is the only one who can enable or disable comments on their own videos.
There is no way to make your comments on strangers’ videos private. The only options are to either comment publicly or not comment at all. This is because you do not have a relationship with that user, so TikTok assumes you are comfortable with public commentary.
You can delete your own comments on strangers’ videos if you change your mind after posting. However, during the time your comment was public, other users may have seen it or taken screenshots. So deleting a comment does not retroactively make it private.
In summary, when commenting on TikTok videos from accounts you don’t follow, assume your comments are public and viewable by all. The only way to control comment privacy is to avoid commenting altogether.
Deleting Comments
You can delete comments you’ve left on other users’ videos or your own TikTok videos. To delete a comment:
- Open the video that has your comment.
- Tap on the comment you want to delete.
- Tap on the three dots icon next to your comment.
- Select “Delete” to remove your comment.
Once you delete a comment, it will be removed from the video for all users. However, deleting a comment does not remove it from your comment history. You can still view deleted comments you’ve made by going to your profile and tapping the three lines icon > Settings & Privacy > View Comment History. From there, you can delete comments from your history as well.
If you want to delete multiple comments at once, you can use TikTok’s data settings to delete all comments you’ve ever made. Go to your profile, tap the three lines icon > Settings & Privacy > Data Settings > Delete All Comments. This will permanently erase all comments you’ve left on TikTok videos.[1]
Private Accounts
Having a private TikTok account gives you more control over who can see your profile and content. When your account is set to private, only people you approve as followers can view your videos, likes, and comments.
This means if your account is private, your comments on other videos will only be visible to people who follow you. People who don’t follow you will not be able to see any comments you make, even on public videos.
You can check if your account is private by going to your profile and looking for a lock icon next to your user name. The lock indicates your account is set to private.
To make your account private go to Settings > Privacy and toggle on “Private account”. Be aware this will reset your follower count to 0 until you approve followers.
Having a private account gives you more privacy, but reduces your reach. Public figures or content creators often keep a public account to build their audience. But for personal use, a private account lets you comment more selectively.https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/making-your-account-public-or-private
Conclusion
TikTok comments allow users to interact with videos posted on the platform. The default setting makes comments public, allowing anyone to see them. However, there are options to make comments private or delete them entirely.
Comments on your friends’ videos are public by default but can be made private. Comments you leave on your own videos are public. To make them private, you need to change your account’s comment settings. For videos from strangers, your comments are public unless you tweak the privacy settings.
Overall, TikTok gives users control over the privacy of their commenting activity. While public engagement is encouraged, you can restrict visibility when needed. Understanding these options allows you to shape your commenting experience on TikTok.
