A permanent ban on TikTok refers to an account being completely blocked from the platform with no option to undo the ban. TikTok may permanently ban accounts if they repeatedly violate the platform’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service.
Some of the reasons TikTok may permanently ban an account include:
- Underage users
- Hate speech or harassment
- Violent, graphic, or illegal content
- Impersonation or misleading information
- Spam, artificial engagement, or bots
- Copyright or trademark infringement
Permanent bans are intended to remove accounts that repeatedly and intentionally violate policies from the platform. However, occasionally accounts may get caught up in automated moderation errors. In those cases, users can attempt to appeal the ban.
Appealing the Ban
If your TikTok account is permanently banned, you can submit an appeal to request that TikTok reconsider the ban. According to TikTok’s support page, the process for appealing a permanent ban is as follows:
1. Open the TikTok app on your device.
2. You should see a notification indicating your account is permanently banned. Tap on this notification.
3. This will open the appeal form. The form will ask you to provide an explanation of why you think your account was wrongly banned.
4. Submit your appeal explanation. TikTok states that each appeal is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
5. Wait for a response from TikTok. The company says it takes around 24 hours to respond to appeals.
6. If your appeal is accepted, your account and all previous content will be restored.
7. If your appeal is rejected, the account will remain banned.
According to TikTok’s guidelines, you only get one chance to appeal a permanent ban. So it’s important to provide as much detail as possible on why you feel the ban was a mistake. TikTok also warns that appeals containing threatening, inappropriate or offensive language are likely to be rejected.
Common Ban Reasons
There are a few common reasons TikTok may permanently ban an account:
Copyright Infringements: TikTok takes copyright violations seriously and may suspend accounts that consistently use copyrighted content without permission or attribution (https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/content-violations-and-bans). This includes re-uploading videos or music created by someone else.
Inappropriate Content: Accounts that violate community guidelines around minor safety, illegal activities, violent extremism, hate speech, adult nudity, sexual activities, or dangerous acts may be permanently banned (https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/account-safety).
Spam/Inauthentic Activity: Accounts that artificially inflate views, likes, comments, follows or shares through third-party apps, bots, or other inauthentic means may be banned (https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/account-safety).
Impersonation: Pretending to be someone else by using their name, brand, logo or other intellectual property often leads to permanent suspension.
Underage Users: Accounts registered by under 13-year-olds will be banned once identified by TikTok’s systems.
Avoiding Bans
Getting banned on TikTok can be frustrating, but there are steps you can take to avoid getting banned in the first place:
Be mindful of TikTok’s community guidelines. Don’t post hateful, dangerous, illegal, or sexually explicit content. TikTok is quick to ban accounts that violate their policies.
Avoid buying views, likes, or followers from third-party sites. TikTok can detect artificial engagement and ban accounts using these services. Focus on creating quality content that attracts real engagement organically.
Don’t reuse content or audio from other videos too much. While remixing trends is popular on TikTok, reposting other people’s content fully can get your account banned for intellectual property violations.
Be cautious about linking to external websites or profiles. TikTok limits promoting other platforms to avoid spam. Only link out sparingly from a quality account with a track record of original content.
Consider using a VPN to mask your location and IP address. As referenced from this YouTube video, a VPN can help avoid location-based bans.
Avoid spamming messages or comments. Don’t aggressively promote your content on other accounts. This behavior can result in bans for spam-like activity.
Appeal bans promptly and politely if issued. Mistakes happen. Rational appeals to human reviewers are more likely to overturn incorrect bans.
Creating a New Account
If your TikTok account has been permanently banned, you will not be able to regain access to it or create a new account using the same device or IP address. TikTok’s ban system associates those identifiers with your banned account.
To create a new TikTok account after a permanent ban, you will need to use a different mobile device that has never had TikTok installed. You should also use a new email address, phone number, and IP address. Connect to a different WiFi network or use a VPN to change your IP address. Some users recommend waiting a few weeks before making the new account, to allow TikTok’s system to disassociate your device and IP address from the banned one.
Keep in mind that continuing to create accounts after being permanently banned is against TikTok’s Terms of Service. You risk having any new accounts detected and banned if you reuse too much of the same information. TikTok’s system looks for matches between the new account and your previous banned account based on device data, contacts, content style, etc. Be careful not to do the same activities that got you banned in the first place.
Sources: https://www.pipiads.com/blog/banned-on-tiktok-heres-how-to-create-a-new-account-in-2022/, https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/content-violations-and-bans
Using a Different Device
One option to try to recover a banned TikTok account is to access TikTok from a different device that has a new IP address. Since bans are often tied to IP addresses, using a new device on a different network may allow you to access your banned account again.
To do this, first try logging into your banned TikTok account on a friend or family member’s phone that is connected to a different WiFi network. You could also try accessing your account from a phone connected to mobile data rather than WiFi. The key is ensuring the device and network have a different IP address than what was associated with your banned account.
If you are able to successfully log into your banned account on the new device, you may be able to recover access as long as you avoid further violations. However, keep in mind that TikTok may detect the banned account through other identifiers, in which case the ban could be reinstated after logging in from a new IP address. Using a different device is not guaranteed to recover a permanently banned account, but may be worth trying.
Restoring Your Content
If your account has been permanently banned on TikTok, you unfortunately will not be able to directly recover or download your old videos and content from the platform. However, there are a few options to try and restore your content before deletion:
Download your data: TikTok allows you to download all your personal data, including your videos, messages, profile information, etc. You can request this data download before your account is deleted. Once you receive the download file, you’ll have a copy of your content.
Use a third-party app: Apps like Recoverit claim they can help recover lost or deleted videos from TikTok by scanning your device’s storage. If you had the TikTok app installed, it may find cached copies of your videos.
Check social platforms: If you previously shared your TikTok videos on other social media platforms like Instagram or Twitter, you may still be able to find them there by searching through your posting history.
Use Google/web cache: Try searching for your TikTok username on Google, DuckDuckGo or another search engine. Some of your public videos may have been indexed or cached by the search engine.
Overall the best practice is to frequently download and back up your TikTok videos and content to external storage, so you have copies if your account is ever banned or deleted.
Seeking Legal Action
TikTok’s Terms of Service give the platform broad discretion to terminate accounts for any reason. When you agree to the Terms of Service, you waive certain legal rights, making it difficult to sue TikTok for banning your account.
However, legal action may be possible in certain unfair ban situations. For example, if TikTok failed to follow its own internal processes for reviewing appeals or you can show discrimination was involved. Overall, the likelihood of success is low given the strong protections for TikTok in its Terms of Service. Consulting an attorney who specializes in social media law is recommended before pursuing legal action.
One relevant case is Leonard v. TikTok, where a TikTok user sued for breach of contract and unfair competition after TikTok allegedly failed to deliver paid advertising services. The court ruled TikTok’s Terms of Service shielded it from liability. This case shows the difficulty of suing TikTok over account issues.
In sum, legal action against TikTok for a banned account faces an uphill battle. While not impossible, success is rare given the broad protections TikTok has established legally.
Alternatives to TikTok
If your TikTok account faces a permanent ban that cannot be reversed, you may want to consider switching to another short-form video platform. Here are some of the top alternatives to TikTok worth checking out:
TikTok’s biggest competitor right now is Instagram Reels. Reels allows you to create and share short multi-clip videos on Instagram similar to TikTok. It has a large built-in audience and many of the same video effects and editing tools. The downside is it may be harder to stand out from the rest of Instagram’s content.
Another option is Triller, which brands itself as an AI-powered music video platform. It has similar short form video creation tools and filters as TikTok. Triller struggled initially but has been gaining more traction lately as a TikTok alternative.
For longer form vertical videos, YouTube Shorts is a fast-growing option. Shorts videos can be up to 60 seconds long. However, YouTube Shorts is still far behind TikTok in terms of its discovery algorithm and video effects.
Other options include byte, Lomotif, Dubsmash, and more. While not as large or full-featured as TikTok yet, they provide alternative platforms to rebuild an audience if TikTok is no longer available.
Conclusion
In summary, recovering a permanently banned TikTok account is very challenging. While you can try appealing the ban or creating a new account, TikTok’s systems are designed to detect ban evasion. Once an account receives a permanent ban, TikTok is unlikely to reinstate it. The best approach is to avoid actions that could lead to a permanent ban in the first place. If your account is permanently banned, you may have to accept the loss and move on to other platforms. Though difficult, it’s important to learn from the experience and be more thoughtful about your content and engagement going forward.
