TikTok is a popular short-form video app that allows users to create, share, and discover short videos ranging from 3 to 60 seconds. Since launching in 2016, TikTok has grown to over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. It’s especially popular among teenagers and young adults.
With so much user-generated content, TikTok offers tools for users to customize their experience, like the “Restricted Mode” feature. Restricted Mode allows users to limit the appearance of content that may be inappropriate or sensitive. When enabled, videos containing mature themes, suggestive dancing/outfits, or other potentially offensive material will not be shown. This can help create a more controlled TikTok environment, often used by parents for their kids.
Restricted Mode is easy to turn on and off as needed. This guide will cover everything you need to know about Restricted Mode on TikTok and how to disable it if desired.
What is Restricted Mode?
TikTok’s Restricted Mode is a feature that filters out content that may be inappropriate or mature for some audiences. When enabled, Restricted Mode will limit the appearance of content in the following categories, according to TikTok:
- Mature content such as violence, nudity, and sexual content
- Videos that promote drug use or excessive drinking
- Videos containing self-harm content
TikTok uses “technology and moderation teams” to identify and restrict access to mature content. The goal is to create a more limited, controlled viewing experience, especially for younger users on the platform.
According to TikTok, Restricted Mode “may not catch every single video that may be objectionable to all audiences,” but works to “reduce the likelihood that users encounter mature content.” It provides an added layer of protection beyond the platform’s default protections.
Sources:
https://www.clevguard.com/parental-control/tiktok-restricted-mode.html
https://hubhopper.com/episode/what-is-tiktok-restricted-mode-1681114514
Why Use Restricted Mode?
Restricted Mode allows parents and guardians to limit the appearance of content that may be inappropriate for young users on TikTok (source: https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/user-safety). When enabled, Restricted Mode hides videos that may contain mature themes, violence, nudity, or other subjects that may not be suitable for all audiences.
Restricted Mode is designed as a parental control and content filtering tool. It aims to create a more limited TikTok experience by excluding certain videos from feeds and search results. This can help prevent children from encountering inappropriate content while using the app (source: https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/restricted-mode).
Overall, Restricted Mode allows parents to oversee and restrict their child’s TikTok usage. It provides an additional layer of protection and monitoring beyond the standard app experience.
How to Turn Off Restricted Mode
TikTok makes it easy to turn off Restricted Mode if you have enabled it previously. The steps are slightly different depending on if you are using an iPhone or Android device.
On both platforms, start by opening the TikTok app and tapping on your profile icon in the bottom right. Then tap on the three dots menu icon in the upper right and select “Settings and privacy.”
On iPhone, tap “Screen Time Management” and then tap “Content Preferences.” Toggle off “Restricted Mode” and confirm your action.
On Android, tap “Digital Wellbeing” then “App Limits” and select “Restricted Mode.” Toggle off the switch next to “Hide videos with mature content” to disable Restricted Mode.
In both cases, TikTok may prompt you to enter a passcode or use Touch ID/Face ID to confirm turning off Restricted Mode. This provides an extra layer of protection if you want to prevent others from disabling the filter without your knowledge.
Turning Off Restricted Mode on iPhone
To turn off Restricted Mode on an iPhone, follow these steps:[1]
- Open the TikTok app on your iPhone.
- Tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner to access your profile page.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines icon in the top right corner to open the menu.
- Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
- Tap on “Content preferences.”
- Under “Restricted Mode,” toggle the switch off.
- Enter your passcode when prompted to turn off Restricted Mode.
Once you toggle Restricted Mode to off and enter your passcode, mature content will no longer be filtered from your TikTok feed.
[1] https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety
Turning Off Restricted Mode on Android
To turn off Restricted Mode on Android:
- Open the TikTok app on your Android device.
- Tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
- Tap on the 3-dot menu button in the top right corner.
- Tap on “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap on “Content preferences.”
- Tap on “Restricted Mode” and toggle it off.
Turning off Restricted Mode will disable the filter that blocks mature content. This means you will be able to see more videos that may contain adult themes, violence, nudity etc. Use caution when browsing after disabling Restricted Mode.
If you are unable to turn off Restricted Mode, make sure that you do not have any parental controls set up by another user that is restricting your access. You may need to enter a passcode or ask the account owner to disable the restriction.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you are still seeing Restricted Mode enabled even after turning it off, there are some troubleshooting steps you can try:
First, try resetting the TikTok app. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > TikTok > Storage > Clear Data. This will reset the app to default settings.
You should also make sure you have the latest version of the TikTok app installed. Go to your device’s app store to check for and install any available updates.
If resetting and updating the app does not resolve the issue, you may need to contact TikTok support directly for further troubleshooting. Provide details on the issue you are experiencing and they can investigate why Restricted Mode remains enabled.
Restricted Mode Limitations
While Restricted Mode can help limit inappropriate content, it is not 100% effective at blocking all sensitive material on TikTok. This is largely due to the fact that TikTok relies on user-generated content that can sometimes feature mature themes despite Restricted Mode being enabled.
According to TikTok’s support page, the Restricted Mode feature uses “a combination of technology and moderation teams to identify and restrict content that may not be suitable for all audiences.” However, the company acknowledges that “no system is perfect” and some questionable videos may slip through the filters.
Parents should be aware that Restricted Mode cannot guarantee a completely walled-off experience. User discretion is still advised when allowing children access to TikTok, even with restrictions enabled. Setting screen time limits, monitoring activity, and maintaining open conversations about online safety are key supplementary protections.
Additional Parental Controls on TikTok
In addition to restricted mode, TikTok offers other parental control options to help parents monitor their teens’ usage of the app (1). These include:
- Screen time management – Parents can set daily screen time limits for their teen’s account (2). This can help manage obsessive usage.
- Direct messaging controls – Parents can restrict who can send messages to their teen’s account or turn off direct messaging completely (3). This prevents unwanted contact.
- Restricted mode – As mentioned above, restricted mode limits potentially inappropriate content.
- Search controls – Parents can disable search or limit search to only approved content and creators.
TikTok also allows parents to link their own account to their teen’s account through a feature called Family Pairing (1). This gives greater visibility and control over the teen’s activity.
Ultimately, close parent-teen communication and monitoring is still important to ensure safe social media usage (3). TikTok’s parental controls provide helpful assistance but should not replace active parenting.
Conclusion
In summary, turning off Restricted Mode on TikTok is a straightforward process whether you are using an iPhone or Android device. The key steps are accessing your account settings, toggling off the Restricted Mode switch, and confirming your choice. Keep in mind that disabling Restricted Mode opens your TikTok feed to more mature content, so parental discretion is advised.
While Restricted Mode can help filter out some inappropriate content, it has limitations and does not catch everything. Parents should consider combining Restricted Mode with additional parental control features offered by TikTok and third parties. Most importantly, open communication with your kids can go a long way in keeping their TikTok experience safe and positive.
We hope this guide gave you the steps and context needed to make informed decisions around Restricted Mode for your family’s needs. Social media opens up amazing creative opportunities, but also requires active parenting. Work together to find the right balance on TikTok.
