TikTok has exploded in popularity among teenagers and young adults in recent years. The app allows users to create and share short videos, often set to music. However, with its growth, TikTok has also come under scrutiny for issues around inappropriate or unwanted content.
Many parents and experts have raised concerns about the amount of mature content on TikTok that kids can easily access. This includes sexually suggestive videos, foul language, drug references, and more. According to one source, the unmoderated side of TikTok hosts a plethora of inappropriate content including suggestive material and pornography. https://www.allprodad.com/3-dangers-of-tiktok/
Exposure to such content at a young age can be detrimental to a child’s development and wellbeing. As a result, parents may want to restrict or block certain content on TikTok to protect their kids.
This article will provide an overview of the various ways TikTok users, especially parents, can block unwanted or inappropriate videos and accounts from showing up in their feeds and searches. By properly utilizing TikTok’s tools and settings, users can create a safer, more tailored experience on the platform.
Why Block Content on TikTok
The primary reason most people want to block content on TikTok is to protect children from viewing inappropriate or adult content. As a social media platform predominantly used by teenagers and young adults, TikTok has faced scrutiny over issues like exposure to sexually explicit material, violence, hate speech, and more. Parents in particular want tools to limit the content their kids can access.
According to TikTok, Restricted Mode is designed to limit content that may not be appropriate for all audiences. While no system is perfect, enabling this feature can help filter out potentially mature or objectionable videos and comments. It provides an additional safeguard for younger users.
How TikTok’s For You Page Works
The For You page, commonly abbreviated as the FYP, is the algorithmically curated feed that appears when you open TikTok. It shows you videos based on your interests and prior engagement on the platform. According to TikTok, the FYP is “a mix of videos from people you follow and videos we think you’ll enjoy from accounts you don’t yet follow.”
The FYP algorithm is designed to figure out your preferences and serve you content that will keep you engaged on TikTok. It uses deep learning AI to analyze every user interaction, including details like which videos you watch all the way through, share, like, comment on, follow the creator, etc. The more you use TikTok, the better the algorithm gets to know your interests.
Some key factors the FYP algorithm considers are:
– Your watch time and completion rates for types of content
– How you interact with content through likes, comments, shares
– Accounts you choose to follow or engage with
– Videos similar to ones you previously engaged with
– Trending topics and viral videos gaining traction
The goal is to keep you endlessly scrolling and discovering new things tailored just for you. According to an analysis, the FYP generates over 70% of views for videos on TikTok, highlighting the power of its recommendation system (Source). Understanding how it works can help you better control the content you see.
Block Users
Blocking users on TikTok prevents them from viewing your content or interacting with your account. To block a user on TikTok:
1. Go to their profile page.
2. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Select “Block” from the menu.
You can also block users when viewing their video or comment by tapping the three-dot menu and selecting “Block.”
Blocking prevents the user from:
- Viewing your profile, videos or live streams.
- Commenting on your content.
- Duetting with your videos.
- Reacting to your videos.
- Messaging you directly.
You can unblock users by visiting their profile, tapping the three-dot menu and selecting “Unblock.” Blocked users will not be notified when you block or unblock them.
You can block up to 100 users at a time on TikTok. This can help curate your feed and interactions to avoid unwanted attention.
Restricted Mode
Restricted Mode is a feature in TikTok that allows you to limit the amount of mature content in your feed. When Restricted Mode is turned on, videos that contain adult content, drug and alcohol references, violence or gore are filtered out and will not appear in your For You page or search results.
You can easily turn Restricted Mode on or off through your account settings:
1. Open TikTok and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right.
2. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner.
3. Select “Settings and privacy”.
4. Tap “Content preferences”.
5. Toggle “Restricted Mode” on or off.
When Restricted Mode is enabled, you’ll see a badge on your profile saying “Restricted Mode: On.” Keep in mind that no filter is 100% accurate, so some mature content may still be visible even with Restricted Mode on. But turning it on significantly limits the amount of inappropriate posts in your feed and search.
For more details on using Restricted Mode, see the TikTok Help Center article.
Digital Wellbeing Features
TikTok has introduced some useful digital wellbeing tools to help you manage your time on the app and limit potentially inappropriate content. According to TikTok’s Digital Wellbeing page (https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/well-being/), you can set daily screen time limits to control how much time you spend scrolling. Once you hit your limit, you’ll get reminders asking if you want to take a break.
TikTok also has a Restricted Mode (https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/investing-in-our-communitys-digital-well-being) that aims to limit the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences. This can help restrict potentially mature content.
Enabling these digital wellbeing features can empower users to manage their TikTok habits and curate the content they see.
Report Inappropriate Content
If you come across videos or accounts that violate TikTok’s community guidelines, you can report them directly to TikTok. This is the best way to get inappropriate, dangerous, or illegal content removed from the platform.
To report a video, tap the ‘Share’ icon and select ‘Report’. Choose a reason for reporting, such as nudity, harassment, or hate speech. If relevant, select a sub-reason as well. Then tap ‘Submit’ to file the report.
To report an account, go to their profile and tap the three dots icon in the top right. Select ‘Report’ and choose a reason like impersonation, underage account, or terrorism. Provide any additional details and submit the report.
TikTok has online forms for reporting videos, accounts, messages, and live streams too. You can also email TikTok at [email protected] to report serious legal or safety concerns.
By reporting inappropriate content and accounts, you help keep the TikTok community safe. TikTok moderators will review all reports and take appropriate action based on their community guidelines.
Parental Controls
TikTok offers a suite of parental control features called Family Pairing that allows parents to oversee their teen’s TikTok account. Family Pairing enables parents to:
- Control the account’s privacy settings
- Restrict who can send messages or comments
- Limit screen time
- Restrict the appearance of inappropriate content
To set up Family Pairing, parents need to download the TikTok app and follow the instructions to link their account to their teen’s account. Once paired, parents can manage settings by going to the Family Pairing hub in their own TikTok settings. Parents can choose to approve or reject new followers, turn off direct messaging, limit screen time, and filter content.
Family Pairing provides parents with supervision over their teen’s TikTok experience. TikTok aims to balance safety with allowing teens to explore their interests, while giving parents options to customize based on their comfort levels (New features for teens and families on TikTok).
Be Careful What You Engage
One crucial aspect of TikTok’s algorithm is that it looks for engagement signals such as likes, shares, and comments as a way to determine what content to push to users’ For You Page (source). Every type of engagement helps send signals to TikTok on the types of content you enjoy. So liking or sharing certain types of content, even ironically or accidentally, means you are more likely to see similar content recommended in the future.
It’s important to be mindful of this and take care in curating your engagement. If you want your For You page to feature more positive content for example, make sure to proactively like and share those types of videos. At the same time, avoid engaging with content you find uninteresting, offensive or dangerous as this will prompt the algorithm to serve you more of it. With billions of videos, it’s impossible to fully control what you see. But keeping your engagement purposeful goes a long way in shaping your TikTok experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are several features on TikTok that allow you to block unwanted and inappropriate content. The main way is by blocking individual users whose videos you don’t wish to see. You can also enable Restricted Mode, which limits content that may be inappropriate for younger audiences. The Digital Wellbeing settings allow you to manage screen time and notifications. You can also report content that violates TikTok’s guidelines. For parents, TikTok has parental control options to help keep your kids’ experience safe and positive.
The key is being mindful of what content you engage with, as the TikTok algorithm tailors your For You page based on how you interact. Avoid engaging with content you find inappropriate, as this tells the algorithm to show you more of it. Focus your interactions on content you find valuable. With the right settings and a thoughtful approach, you can shape your TikTok experience to avoid unwanted content.
