TikTok is a popular short-form video app with over 1 billion monthly active users. On TikTok, users can create, view, and share short videos spanning various genres like dance, comedy, education and more.
Due to the massive userbase, TikTok employs automated systems and community moderators to enforce its community guidelines and ensure a safe environment on the platform. Violating these guidelines can result in an account being temporarily or permanently suspended.
Account suspensions disrupt access to the account and are intended to curb repeat guideline infractions. However, accounts may also get suspended by mistake. Understanding suspension reasons, duration, and the appeals process can help users navigate account suspensions on TikTok.
Reasons for Suspension
TikTok accounts can be suspended for violating the platform’s community guidelines. Some of the main reasons accounts get suspended include:
- Posting content that violates TikTok’s policies against dangerous acts, illegal activities, sexually explicit content, hate speech, harassment, and other prohibited content.
- Engaging in spammy behavior like repeatedly posting the same content or flooding hashtags.
- Using bots or other artificial methods to inflate video views, likes, or followers.
- Purchasing likes, followers, shares or verification.
- Posting private information about other users without consent.
- Evading previous account suspensions by creating multiple accounts.
- Violating copyright laws, impersonating others, or other TOS violations.
Accounts may also get suspended if they are deemed to present safety or security risks. TikTok does not disclose details on how its automated systems detect violations.
Suspension Duration
The length of a TikTok account suspension can vary depending on the severity of the violation. Minor first-time offenses often result in shorter suspensions of 24-48 hours or up to one week. More serious or repeat violations can lead to account suspensions of 2 weeks or longer.
According to TikTok’s support article on account suspensions, “Suspensions last 1 day or longer, depending on the severity of the violation.” The platform aims to be fair in determining suspension lengths based on their published community guidelines and terms of service.
A temporary ban or restricted account mode on TikTok may last anywhere from 24 hours up to 30 days. In some cases, accounts are suspended indefinitely until the user successfully appeals the violation.
As per this article, first-time offenses often result in 24-72 hour suspensions. Repeat or more serious violations can lead to bans of 1-2 weeks. Accounts posting illegal, dangerous, or abusive content may be suspended for a month or longer.
Factors Affecting Suspension Length
The length of a TikTok account suspension depends on several factors, primarily the severity and nature of the violation. According to TikTok’s community guidelines, suspensions can range from 1 day to permanent, based on the type of violation.
Some of the main factors that determine suspension length include:
- Severity of violation – More serious violations like illegal content, dangerous acts, or severe bullying have longer suspensions.
- Repeat offenses – If an account has been suspended before, subsequent suspensions will be longer.
- Intentionality – Deliberate violations are treated more strictly than accidental ones.
- Volume of violations – Mass violations in a short time can lead to longer suspensions.
- Acknowledgment and reversal of violations – Admitting to and reversing violations can sometimes lead to shorter suspensions.
For minor first-time violations like spam or minor policy breaches, suspensions are often 1-7 days. Major violations can lead to 14-30 day suspensions or longer. Permanent suspension is reserved for severe or repeat violations (source).
Accounts engaged in illegal activities, dangerous behavior, hate speech, or harassment often receive lengthy or permanent suspensions. Situations involving minors also tend to result in stricter enforcement.
Appealing a Suspension
If your TikTok account has been suspended, you can appeal the suspension through the app. Here is the process for appealing a suspended TikTok account:
1. Open the notification about your suspended account in the TikTok app. Tap “Appeal” in the notification.1
2. Complete the appeal form in the app, providing details about why you believe your account was suspended incorrectly. Make sure to be as detailed as possible in the appeal.
3. Wait for a response from TikTok on the status of your appeal. This can take anywhere from 24 hours to a few weeks.
According to TikTok, the success rate for appealing an account suspension varies case by case. Factors like the severity and type of violation impact the likelihood of a successful appeal. Minor first-time offenses have a higher rate of success. However, appeals are still worth submitting even for more serious violations, as accounts can potentially be reinstated.
Creating a New Account
If your TikTok account gets suspended, you may be tempted to simply create a new account. However, TikTok has rules against “ban evasion” which means creating a new account after getting suspended.
According to TikTok’s Community Guidelines, “You can create multiple accounts on TikTok. However, we may restrict or permanently ban your account if you are trying to avoid previous account restrictions.” [1]
This means if you try to make a new account after getting suspended, TikTok may detect this and ban that account as well. Some ways they can detect ban evasion include using the same device or IP address as your previous banned account.
So if your original account was permanently banned, creating a new one carries a high risk of getting restricted again. It’s generally better to try appealing the suspension on your original account before attempting to start fresh.
Maintaining Account Security
To avoid getting suspended again after regaining access to your TikTok account, it’s important to be mindful of TikTok’s community guidelines and posting best practices. Here are some tips:
- Avoid reposting any content that led to your initial suspension. TikTok’s moderators will be on the lookout for repeat offenses.
- Review TikTok’s community guidelines thoroughly and make sure your content does not violate any rules around nudity, harassment, hate speech, dangerous acts, or other prohibited material.
- Use caution when using copyrighted music, images, or video clips in your content. Only use content you have permission to use or that falls under fair use doctrine.
- Be respectful in your interactions with other users. Do not engage in bullying, spamming, or other abusive behaviors.
- Consider enabling privacy settings like comment filtering or restricted mode to limit negative interactions.
- If using controversial or edgy humor, ensure the intent is clear and not likely to be construed as malicious.
- Avoid buying followers or using other tactics that appear as artificial inflation of popularity.
- Be authentic and creative. Generic, repetitive content is more likely to get flagged than original high-quality content.
Staying vigilant and not falling back into old habits that led to suspension in the first place is key. With the right content and interactions, your account should remain in good standing.
Alternative Platforms
If your TikTok account is suspended for an extended period of time, you may want to consider using alternative platforms to continue creating and sharing video content. Here are some options to consider:
Triller is a similar short-form video app that has grown in popularity as an alternative to TikTok. It offers many of the same features like challenges, effects, and sharing. Triller has actively courted TikTok creators to join its platform. Learn more at https://triller.co/
Byte is a new app created by one of the co-founders of Vine. Like TikTok and Vine, it focuses on short looped videos. Byte lets you easily shoot or upload videos and offers built-in editing and effects. Check it out at https://byte.co/
Instagram Reels allows you to create 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects and creative tools. Reels has similar immersive, swipeable video feeds as TikTok. As part of Instagram, it already has a large built-in audience. Learn more at https://about.instagram.com/features/reels
YouTube Shorts are 15-60 second vertical videos optimized for mobile viewers. You can shoot shorts directly in the YouTube app or upload existing videos. Shorts already has a massive built-in audience. Learn more at https://youtube.com/shorts/
Key Takeaways
TikTok accounts are usually suspended for violations of community guidelines or terms of service. Suspension duration depends on the severity of the violation and ranges from 1 day to permanent. Factors like repeat offenses, intent, and impact increase suspension length. Users can appeal suspensions but success rates are low. Creating new accounts to evade bans violates policies and leads to permanent suspension. Maintaining account security through strong passwords and 2FA helps prevent unauthorized access. While upsetting, suspensions help protect the TikTok community. Patience and learning from mistakes allows returning after temporary suspensions.
References
[1] TikTok Community Guidelines. TikTok, www.tiktok.com/community-guidelines?lang=en. Accessed [date accessed].
[2] An Update on Our Work Around Safety. Newsroom, TikTok, 25 Feb. 2021, newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/updates-on-our-safety-work. Accessed [date accessed].
[3] How to Appeal a Ban or Suspension on TikTok. TechJunkie, 29 June 2022, www.techjunkie.com/appeal-ban-suspension-tiktok/. Accessed [date accessed].
[4] Can You Get Your TikTok Account Back After Being Banned? Lifewire, www.lifewire.com/get-back-tiktok-account-after-ban-5208231#:~:text=Typically%2C%20a%20suspension%20lasts%20anywhere,last%20as%20long%20as%20necessary. Accessed [date accessed].
[5] I Was Banned from TikTok – Here’s My Story. Influencer Marketing Hub, 14 Apr. 2022, influencermarketinghub.com/banned-from-tiktok/. Accessed [date accessed].