TikTok is a social media platform that has exploded in popularity in recent years. As of December 2022, TikTok had over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, making it one of the most popular social media platforms (Source). TikTok allows users to create, share, and discover short-form videos. The app has been downloaded over 3.6 billion times globally on the App Store and Google Play (Source). This article will discuss how to see who is stalking or viewing your TikTok account, using TikTok’s analytics, third-party apps, and other methods.
Defining TikTok Stalkers
TikTok uses the term “stalkers” to refer to other users who frequently watch someone’s content without interacting. Stalkers often view many or all of a person’s videos but don’t follow, comment, or like the videos (TikTok). Common stalker behaviors on TikTok include:
- Watching a large percentage of someone’s videos
- Viewing Stories repeatedly
- Visiting a profile frequently without following
- Lurking without ever commenting or liking
- Showing up repeatedly in the viewers list on videos
While stalking does not involve direct interaction, it can feel invasive for TikTok creators who notice the same users viewing their content obsessively. Some behaviors like repeatedly viewing Stories may cross the line into harassment depending on the context.
Why You May Want to See Stalkers
There are several reasons why TikTok users may want to identify who is stalking or frequently viewing their profiles:
To gauge interest and engagement. Seeing which accounts view your profile often can help you understand who your top fans are and what type of content resonates most with your audience.
To spot suspicious activity. If an unknown account seems overly interested in your profile, you may want to block or restrict them to protect your privacy.
To connect with potential collaborators. Creators looking for guest stars, duet partners or other collaborations can identify mutually interested accounts through stalker insights.
To identify harassers or bullies. By uncovering accounts that seem to be targeting you, you can take steps to stop online harassment.
For safety reasons. Identifying accounts that are overly invested in you personally can help you remain vigilant about security and privacy.
To reward top fans. Some creators use stalker analytics to identify their biggest supporters and give them shoutouts or other appreciation.
Simply out of curiosity. For some users, seeing profile stalkers provides interesting insights into their audience and content reach.
TikTok’s Privacy Settings
TikTok has several privacy settings that can help users manage who can see and interact with their account. This includes settings to limit stalking and harassment.
You can make your account private so only approved followers can see your videos, likes, and comments (source). TikTok also allows you to restrict certain accounts from viewing your profile or content if you suspect stalking or harassment is occurring.
Another option is disabling your profile from showing up in Suggested Users. This prevents your profile from being discovered by random users browsing TikTok. You can also limit your video visibility and turn off features like Duet and Stitch to reduce unwanted interactions.
Additionally, TikTok has a “Blocked Accounts” section under Settings. Here you can view all users you’ve blocked and prevent them from interacting with your profile in any way (source).
While TikTok’s default settings make profiles public, adjusting these privacy options can help deter stalking and harassment campaigns against your account.
Using TikTok Analytics
One way to get an idea of who might be stalking your TikTok account is by looking at your TikTok analytics. In your profile, tap on “Analytics” which shows you data on your views, likes, comments, shares, and more.
While the analytics don’t show individual users, you can see data like top posters and top commenters. If you notice certain accounts consistently at the top over a period of time, that can indicate they are repeatedly viewing your content (source).
The analytics also show your top locations – if you see a certain city popping up often, it’s possible someone there is viewing your profile a lot. Pay attention to any trends or spikes in your data for clues on potential stalkers.
Identifying Stalkers in Comments
One way to potentially identify stalkers is by analyzing the comments on your videos and live streams. While most commenters will only engage occasionally, stalkers may exhibit some of these suspicious behaviors:
- Commenting on a large number of your posts in a short timespan
- Making multiple negative or harassing comments to get your attention
- Tagging you repeatedly in unrelated comments
- Commenting excessively on mundane details in your videos
- Making statements that reveal personal details about your life
Stalkers want to establish contact and feel connected to you. If you notice a user frequently commenting, tagging, or engaging with you in these ways, they may have an unhealthy fixation. Check their comment history to confirm if they interact with you far more than other accounts. According to one Reddit user, stalkers commented on every TikTok video they posted over several weeks. Source
While some super fans may innocently comment often, repeated harassing or inappropriate messages are cause for concern. Stalkers who won’t take “no” for an answer may try contacting you relentlessly. Be proactive about blocking or reporting any suspicious accounts. Enabling comment filters can also help limit unwanted attention.
Seeing Who Views Your Profile
Unfortunately, TikTok does not provide a feature to see exactly who has viewed your profile. The platform intentionally limits profile view transparency to protect user privacy. The only information TikTok provides about profile views is in the Analytics section, which shows total view counts for your profile and videos.
There are a few reasons why TikTok restricts the ability to see who views your profile:
- User privacy – TikTok wants to prevent user stalking or harassment that could arise from knowing exactly who viewed your profile.
- Reduce social pressure – Seeing a list of profile viewers could create pressure to generate more views or cater content to those viewers.
- Focus on content – TikTok wants creators to focus on making great content rather than obsess over view counts.
While you can’t see exactly who viewed your TikTok profile, the profile and video view counts in Analytics provide helpful insight into how well your content is reaching viewers.
Some third-party apps like TikTok Views claim they can show you who viewed your profile, but TikTok does not authorize such apps and it’s unclear if they actually work.
Using Third-Party Apps
Some third-party apps claim they can show you who is stalking your TikTok account. Apps like Urlebird and TikTok Profile Viewer state they can reveal anonymous viewers of your profile and posts. However, these apps have some limitations:
First, there is no official TikTok API that enables third-party services to access private data like stalkers. So it’s unlikely these apps can actually show accurate stalker information.
Additionally, collecting and sharing user data without consent raises privacy concerns. Most of these services require access to your TikTok account and personal data.
Finally, apps advertising TikTok stalker identification services often spread false claims to gain users. Their validity and safety are questionable at best.
In summary, while third-party apps market stalker identification features, they likely lack the capability to access restricted TikTok data. Proceed with caution before connecting any apps to your TikTok account.
Best Practices for Handling Stalkers
If you believe you have identified a stalker on TikTok, there are some best practices to handle the situation appropriately:
First, document the interactions and compile evidence of the concerning behavior. Screenshot comments, messages, or video interactions that feel harassing or threatening. Having documentation will help if you need to report the user to TikTok or authorities.
Consider turning on Restricted Mode under your TikTok account’s privacy settings. This will limit comments and interactions from accounts you don’t follow or recently interacted with. Turning off “Allow Others to Find Me” and setting your account to private can also limit unwanted attention.
Don’t engage with the stalker directly. Replying can encourage further unwanted contact. Simply delete, block, and report them through TikTok’s reporting mechanisms.
You can report a user specifically for stalking under TikTok’s Report Abuse options. Select “I think this account is stalking me” and submit any documentation you have compiled.
If the concerning behavior escalates or moves off the TikTok platform, don’t hesitate to contact local law enforcement. Stalking and harassment may warrant police intervention, especially if you feel unsafe.
Get support from friends, family, or professionals to process the emotional impact stalking can have. Seek any help needed to recover from the situation.
With the right precautions and reporting, you can take steps to protect yourself on TikTok. But always prioritize your safety and well-being when handling online stalkers.
Conclusion
In summary, while TikTok doesn’t provide users with direct access to see who is stalking their account, there are some techniques you can use to get hints about who your “secret admirers” may be. Looking at analytics can show you demographic data on your viewers. Checking comments for repeat commenters can reveal loyal followers. Enabling viewer lists gives you some visibility into who is peeking at your profile. And third-party apps like Famoid claim to reveal more specific stalker data, though use extreme caution with third-party services.
However, there are limitations to each of these approaches, as TikTok seems intentionally designed to protect user privacy and anonymity. The platform’s algorithms also make it difficult to gain full visibility into who may be intrigued by your account. As such, you may just have to make peace with having some unknown followers keeping tabs on you. Just be sure to use TikTok’s tools to block users if they cross the line into harassment.
