On social media platforms like TikTok, you may come across accounts that you want to block for various reasons, such as offensive content, spam, or just wanting to cut off contact. However, TikTok’s default behavior when you go to block someone is to first open their profile page. This means the user will be notified that you viewed their profile shortly before blocking them.
For some users, this default behavior is problematic because they do not want the blocked person to know they visited the profile. The blocked person may harass them about it or create additional accounts if they know they have been blocked. Some users simply want to quietly block an account without indirectly interacting with it at all.
Fortunately, there are a few different methods on TikTok to block an account without viewing the profile first. This guide will walk through these options to block someone on TikTok without them being notified.
Why You Might Want to Block Someone Without Viewing Their Profile
Harassment and bullying are major concerns on TikTok and social media platforms in general. According to Tiktok’s Community Guidelines Enforcement Report from July to December 2020, 66.50% of reviewed harassment and bullying content was removed before a user reported it, and the overall removal rate was 84.10% (source). Their latest report shows these numbers have increased to 73.3% and 83.8% respectively (source).
With the prevalence of harassment on TikTok, users may want to block someone who is bullying or harassing them without giving the harasser the satisfaction of knowing they viewed their profile. Viewing a harasser’s profile also exposes the user to potentially more abusive content.
Blocking without viewing denies harassers that attention while still preventing further abuse through blocking. Users shouldn’t have to engage with or expose themselves to more attacks just to block an abusive user.
TikTok’s Default Blocking Behavior
By default, TikTok requires you to view a user’s profile before you can block them. Here’s how the normal blocking process works on TikTok:
1. Navigate to the profile of the person you want to block.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner.
3. Select “Block” from the menu.
4. Confirm you want to block the user.
Once you complete these steps, the user will be blocked and you won’t see their content in your feed or be able to interact with them. A blocked user also won’t be able to view your profile or posts.
This default blocking behavior means you need to actively visit a user’s profile page before blocking them. You can’t block someone if you only have their username or see their content show up on your For You page or following feed.
Source: https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/followers-and-following/blocking-the-users
Using TikTok’s Settings to Prevent Viewing Profiles
One way to block someone without viewing their profile is to turn off the ability to view other users’ profiles in your TikTok settings. Here’s how:
Go to your profile tab and tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner to access your settings. Select “Privacy” and then toggle off “Allow Others to View My Profile.” This will prevent anyone from being able to view your profile.
You can also toggle off “Allow Others to View My Liked Videos” and “Allow Others to View My Following List” in your privacy settings. This will prevent people from seeing who you follow or what videos you’ve liked.
According to TikTok’s support page, “Turning off your Profile view history prevents other people from seeing if you’ve visited their profile.” (https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/tiktok-profile-visit-history)
So with these settings disabled, you can search for and block other users without their profiles loading or recording your profile view.
Blocking Via Comments
One way to block someone on TikTok without viewing their profile is by blocking them directly from their comment. When a user comments on your video or another user’s video that you have also commented on, you can block them right from that comment thread.
To block from a comment:
- Long press on the comment you want to block.
- Tap the pencil icon in the upper left corner.
- Tap “Manage multiple comments”
- Tap the blue circle with check mark next to the commenter you want to block.
- Tap “Block” at the bottom.
This will immediately block that user without ever having to view their profile. You can block them directly from any comment they make. The benefit of this method is you can remain anonymous and block abusive or inappropriate commenters without them realizing you’ve blocked them.
One Reddit user asked if there was a way to block someone from seeing their comments on other videos. Blocking directly from the comment is an effective way to do this on TikTok without the user being aware you blocked them.
Blocking Through Live Video
One way to block someone on TikTok without viewing their profile is by blocking them directly from your live video. When someone comments on your live video stream, their username will appear on the screen. You can long press on their name to bring up the option to “Block” that user.
By blocking them directly through the live video, you don’t have to navigate away from the stream or view the user’s profile at all. As soon as you block them, they will no longer be able to view or interact with your live video. This provides a quick and easy way to block annoying or abusive commenters without disrupting your broadcast.
According to TikTok’s support article on how to block someone from seeing your TikTok live, the blocked user will not get a notification that they have been blocked. So utilizing this live blocking feature allows you to prevent users from accessing your content without them being aware.
Using Third-Party Apps to Block
If you don’t want to view a user’s profile before blocking them, you can use a third-party app like TikBlocker or Canopy. These apps allow you to block specific users by username without ever having to visit their profile. TikBlocker and Canopy work by restricting access to the entire TikTok app on your device. Once installed, you can enter the usernames you wish to block. The apps will then filter all content from those users so you never have to see it. The main advantage of using a third-party blocking app is avoiding viewing a profile you want to block. This allows you to proactively block someone without exposing yourself to unwanted content.
Reporting a User’s Content
If someone is harassing or bullying you, you can report their content and account to TikTok without viewing their profile. According to TikTok, you can report a problematic user by tapping the three dots in the top right corner of any of their videos or comments and selecting “Report”. You can then choose to report the content for harassment or bullying.
Reporting harassment or bullying can lead to the user’s account being restricted or banned without you having to view their full profile. TikTok states that they have a zero tolerance policy against bullying and harassing behavior. By reporting content that violates their community guidelines, you can help TikTok identify and take action against abusive accounts.
Creating a New Account to Block
Another option to block someone on TikTok without viewing their profile is to create a temporary account just for blocking purposes. Here’s how it works:
1. Open TikTok and sign up for a new account using a different email address or phone number than your main account. You can create a temporary account specifically for this purpose.
2. Once logged into your temporary account, go to the profile of the person you want to block. Tap the three-dot menu icon and select “Block” to block their account.
3. Once you’ve blocked the user on your temporary account, you can switch back to your main TikTok account. The user will be blocked from interacting with your main profile without you ever having viewed their page on that account.
The advantage of using a separate temporary account is it avoids filling up your main profile’s “Blocked Accounts” list. It also prevents the blocked person from realizing you’ve viewed their profile or blocked them.
Conclusion
In summary, there are a few different methods you can use to block someone on TikTok without viewing their profile. The default TikTok blocking behavior shows the profile, but you can prevent this by adjusting settings to not show profiles when clicking on usernames. You can also block via comments or live videos without viewing profiles. Third-party apps provide another option to block TikTok users more privately. As a last resort, you can report a user’s content or create an entirely new account to block someone without them knowing.
Having the ability to block accounts without viewing profiles is important in some cases to avoid unwanted interactions. Whether you want to block an ex, a bully, or someone exhibiting inappropriate behavior, blocking without indicating you viewed their profile allows you to cut off contact more discreetly. Overall, TikTok does provide a few built-in ways to block without viewing profiles, though third-party apps offer the most private blocking experience.
