TikTok is a popular short-form video app with over 1 billion monthly active users. It allows users to create, share, and discover short vertical videos usually set to music or sounds. As the platform has grown, content moderation has become an increasingly important aspect in maintaining a safe community.
TikTok uses a combination of human moderators and AI technology to enforce its community guidelines and terms of service in an effort to remove policy-violating content like hate speech, harassment, dangerous challenges and more. Getting a “strike” on TikTok refers to receiving a warning or temporary suspension of your account for violating these rules. Strikes can range from something minor like posting copyrighted audio to more severe infractions. Understanding TikTok’s content moderation policies and penalties can help creators avoid strikes.
What is a strike on TikTok?
A strike on TikTok is a penalty issued to a user’s account for violating the platform’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. Strikes are one of the ways TikTok moderates content and manages user behavior on the platform.
Strikes are issued when a user posts content or engages in activity that is deemed harmful, dangerous, illegal, or otherwise in violation of TikTok’s rules. This could include things like hate speech, harassment, dangerous challenges, nudity, or other prohibited material.
When content is flagged as a violation, TikTok’s content moderation team reviews it. If they determine it breaks the rules, the account receives a strike. Each strike is associated with a particular violation, and details of the offending content are provided along with the penalty.
Strikes serve as warnings, but can also lead to escalating consequences if multiple strikes are received in a short period of time. The system is designed to dissuade rule-breaking behavior on TikTok.
Types of violations that lead to strikes
There are several types of violations that can lead to strikes on TikTok.
Some of the most common violations that result in strikes include:
- Copyright violations – uploading content you don’t have rights to, or reposting videos from other creators without permission
- Nudity and sexual content – posting explicit or suggestive videos or images
- Illegal activities – depicting dangerous or criminal behavior
- Violent and graphic content – videos that are excessively gory or violent
- Hate speech – using slurs or offensive language targeting protected groups
- Harassment and bullying – personally attacking or threatening other users
- Misinformation – spreading falsehoods or conspiracy theories, especially about major events
- Impersonation – pretending to be someone else
- Spam – repeatedly posting identical or very similar content
These types of violations go against TikTok’s community guidelines. Posting this type of prohibited content can quickly lead to strikes or bans.
Effects of One Strike
When a TikTok user receives their first strike, they will face some account limitations but can generally continue using the platform. According to TikTok’s support page, the main effects of a first strike are:
- The violating content is removed. TikTok deletes any videos, images, comments, etc. that violated their policies and led to the strike.
- Upload access may be limited for 24 hours. Users cannot post new content during this time.
- Live streaming access is revoked. Users cannot go live for 30 days following the strike.
- Creator fund payouts are withheld. If monetized through the Creator Fund, earnings from the previous month are withheld.
So in summary, one strike removes the violating content, imposes a temporary upload ban, revokes live streaming, and withholds Creator Fund payouts. But generally the account remains active and able to access most features after the 24 hour upload ban expires.
Effects of multiple strikes
Multiple strikes can lead to increased penalties and further restrictions for a TikTok account, according to TikTok’s Community Guidelines. If an account accumulates multiple strikes in a short period of time, TikTok may impose longer suspensions of the account’s posting, commenting, or live streaming privileges (TikTok to ban rule-breakers using new ‘strike’ system – Yahoo News).
Specifically, after receiving multiple strikes, TikTok may temporarily suspend an account from posting, commenting, editing profile information, following other accounts, or going live. The duration of these restrictions will increase with additional strikes. For example, after two strikes an account may be restricted for 1 week, but three strikes in a 3-month period could result in a 1-month suspension of privileges (How Many Community Guidelines Strikes on TikTok to Get Banned?).
If an account continues violating policies after multiple temporary suspensions, TikTok may permanently ban the account from the platform. The number of strikes leading to a permanent ban depends on the severity of the violations, but typically 3-5 strikes within a short timeframe can result in a permanent suspension.
How long do strikes last?
Strikes on TikTok will remain on your profile for 90 days before expiring according to TikTok’s community guidelines (https://support.tiktok.com/en/safety-hc/account-and-user-safety/content-violations-and-bans). After 90 days, the strikes are removed from your record and will no longer impact account standing. Even though strikes may still display in the app’s violation history during those 90 days, they are considered “expired” by TikTok’s systems and policies.
So in summary, strikes last for 90 days on your account before being automatically deleted and no longer factoring into any potential bans or penalties (https://www.reddit.com/r/Tiktokhelp/comments/15n6wmp/my_acount_is_on_its_last_warning_before_i_get/). TikTok will treat the strikes as if they never happened after those 90 days.
Appealing a Strike
If you believe TikTok made a mistake in issuing a strike against your account, you can appeal the decision. The process to appeal a strike is as follows:
1. Go to your profile and tap the three dots in the top right corner. Select “Report a problem” from the menu.
2. Choose “Appeal community guidelines violation.” This will open a form where you can explain why you think the strike was a mistake.
3. Submit any evidence you have to back up your appeal, such as the video in question or screenshots showing the content doesn’t violate policies. You can also include links in the appeal form.
4. TikTok will review your appeal and make a final decision. This can take anywhere from 24 hours to a few weeks. You’ll receive a notification when the review is complete.
5. If your appeal is successful, the strike will be removed from your account. If it’s denied, the strike will stay in place. You can’t appeal a strike more than once.
For details, see TikTok’s support article on underage appeals on TikTok.
Avoiding strikes
There are a few best practices creators can follow to avoid getting strikes on TikTok:
Be mindful of copyright – Don’t use copyrighted music, images, or videos without permission. TikTok has licensing deals with many large music companies, but it’s still best to use original content when possible (TikTok Help Center).
Follow community guidelines – Make sure your content doesn’t violate TikTok’s community guidelines around nudity, harassment, dangerous acts, illegal activities, and more. Familiarize yourself with the rules and double check your videos (TikTok Community Guidelines).
Use original and family-friendly content – Develop your own style with original content that is appropriate for all ages. Unique, high-quality videos are less likely to be mistakenly flagged.
Appeal strikes – If you do get a strike, be sure to appeal it if you believe it was an error. Provide additional context to content moderators on why your video should not have been removed.
Avoid controversial topics – Steer clear of overly controversial subjects like politics, social issues, tragedies, etc. These topics often garner more scrutiny.
Comparisons to other platforms
Other major social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram also have systems to enforce their community guidelines through account strikes or violations. However, the specifics vary across platforms.
On YouTube, creators can receive copyright strikes for infringing content as well as Community Guidelines strikes for violating policies around nudity, harassment, spam, etc. Copyright claims lead to takedowns of individual pieces of content, while strikes impact the whole channel. One strike results in a week-long uploading freeze, two strikes bring a two-week freeze, and three strikes within 90 days leads to permanent account termination [1].
Instagram’s strike system centers on violations of their community guidelines. Users receive a warning first, followed by temporary restrictions, permanent disablement of certain features like commenting or live streaming, and ultimately permanent account disablement after multiple violations [2]. The platform also maintains a separate copyright reporting process.
So while TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram all enforce their guidelines through account strikes, the specific policies and effects vary. However, the intent remains similar – to curb abusive behavior and illegal activities while keeping the platforms safe and enjoyable.
Conclusions
In summary, getting a strike on TikTok can happen for a variety of reasons and lead to consequences like temporary bans from posting or commenting. The severity of punishment depends on how many total strikes you have on your account. Strikes typically expire after 90 days, but you can appeal a strike if you believe it was unwarranted.
For TikTok creators, the best practices are to carefully follow community guidelines, avoid posting copyrighted or inappropriate material, and consult resources about proper attribution and fair use principles. Mistakes can happen, but being thoughtful about content can help prevent most issues. Having original ideas and high-quality videos is the ideal approach.
With care and effort, TikTok creators can build their accounts while avoiding the warnings and penalties that come with strikes. Patience and persistence are key. If you do get a strike, take it as a learning experience for how to improve going forward.
