The short answer is no, your TikTok followers cannot see what videos you have watched on the platform. TikTok does not have a feature that shows your viewing history or watch history to other users. So you can rest assured that your viewing habits and interests are kept private from your followers.
TikTok does not make your watch history public
TikTok is designed to only share with others the content that you deliberately engage with through likes, comments, shares, or by posting on your profile. The videos you simply watch without interacting with are not made public to anyone else on TikTok.
This differs from some other social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram that do have features enabling you to see what posts and profiles a friend has viewed or checked out. But TikTok purposefully does not offer any way for others to view your personal watch history.
The only way followers can know what you watched
The only way your TikTok followers would know about a video you watched is if you directly told them about it. For example, by mentioning a certain TikTok in a comment or message. Or by liking, commenting on, or sharing a video such that your followers see that video appear on your profile.
But merely viewing a video, even several times, does not make that video or your viewing of it visible to your followers or anyone else on TikTok.
TikTok feed recommendations are based on your watch history
Although your watch history remains private, TikTok does use it to personalize the content that you see in your Following feed and For You page recommendations. So the more videos you watch about a certain topic, the more likely TikTok’s algorithm will be to show you similar content.
So your followers may notice if your Liked videos or your own posts seem aligned to certain trends or topics. But they will not be able to see precisely which videos you have watched.
Watch history privacy applies to live streams too
The same privacy around watch history applies to TikTok’s live streams. If you watch a user’s live stream, there is no public indication to other viewers or the broadcaster that you were viewing the stream.
Unless you actively comment or send gifts during the live stream, your attendance remains anonymous. So feel free to tune into any public live broadcasts on TikTok without worrying about your followers being notified.
How to view your own TikTok watch history
While your watch history remains private from others, you can view your own watch history in the TikTok app to see what videos you have watched.
On the profile tab, tap the three horizontal lines menu icon in the upper right corner, then tap “Watch history”. This will show you a listing of all the videos you have watched recently while logged into your TikTok account.
You can also clear your watch history on this page if desired. TikTok also automatically deletes videos in your watch history after a certain period of time.
Watch history available to download
Under your TikTok account privacy settings, you have the option to download your personal information from TikTok. This download includes a detailed listing of your watch history including specific videos watched and watch timestamps.
However this information remains solely available to you, the account holder. TikTok does not provide a way for this data to be accessed or viewed by anyone else.
Watch history impact on recommended videos
As mentioned above, the videos you watch do influence the content you are recommended in your TikTok feeds. This is because TikTok’s algorithm factors in your interests based on your engagement and viewing behavior in order to recommend relevant content.
So if you spend time watching TikToks about a certain topic like fashion, cooking, sports, etc., you are likely to start seeing more videos related to those interests. Even if you don’t follow creators in those areas, TikTok aims to show you content it predicts you will enjoy.
Some users attempt to reset these recommendations by clearing their watch history. But TikTok’s algorithm has already learned information about your interests that will continue to influence recommendations to some degree.
Watch history and targeted advertising
In addition to personalized content recommendations, TikTok does use anonymized watch history data to target advertising. So you may notice display ads that are more tailored to video topics you have watched a lot of.
However, advertisers are not provided your personal watch history and do not know the specific videos you have viewed. But your aggregated viewing behavior can inform the types of ads shown to you.
Managing watch history privacy on TikTok
If you are concerned about TikTok collecting any information about your viewing behavior, there are a few options:
- Clear your watch history periodically in the TikTok app.
- Turn off personalized ads in your account settings.
- Use a secondary “private” account not logged into your main profile for viewing sensitive content.
- Avoid watching videos when not logged into a TikTok account.
However for most users, TikTok’s handling of watch history as private, aggregated data for internal use only should maintain a satisfactory level of privacy around your viewing habits and interests.
Conclusion
On the whole, you can browse and watch videos on TikTok freely without concern about your followers or other users knowing exactly what content you have viewed. Your full watch history remains private and is not visible to anyone but yourself.
So feel free to watch and explore all sorts of TikToks – funny videos, weird videos, guilty pleasure videos – without worrying about that activity being shared. Your exploring and viewing will remain between you and TikTok’s recommendation algorithm.
