With over 1 billion monthly active users globally as of September 2022, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world (source). However, despite its meteoric rise in popularity, TikTok remains highly controversial due to its strict policies around user privacy and content ownership. One of the most criticized aspects of TikTok is its policy prohibiting users from deleting their accounts entirely.
While users can delete the content associated with their accounts, they are unable to erase their presence on TikTok completely. For a platform built around sharing photos, videos, and other personal information, this lack of account deletion has raised many concerns. Users, regulators, and privacy advocates have called out TikTok for this policy, arguing that it limits users’ control over their data.
In this article, we’ll examine why TikTok doesn’t allow account deletion, the problems this policy creates, TikTok’s response to criticism, and whether the platform may eventually change its stance on account removal.
The Basics of TikTok
TikTok is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Beijing-based technology company ByteDance. It hosts user-generated videos that are typically 15 to 60 seconds long. TikTok allows users to create and share short videos on any topic, often set to music or other audio. It utilizes an algorithm that determines which content a user is likely to enjoy watching, serving up an endless stream of short videos in a personalized feed.
According to the podcast episode “Ep. 46 – TikTok’s Videos & Company” (source), TikTok was launched by ByteDance in September 2016 for iOS and Android in markets outside of China. The app originated from ByteDance’s Chinese app Douyin, which was created in 2016. TikTok and Douyin essentially have the same functionality but maintain separate networks to comply with Chinese censorship restrictions. As of 2020, TikTok has been downloaded over 2 billion times worldwide.
Why Users Want to Delete Accounts
Many users want to delete their TikTok accounts for various reasons. Some of the most common motivations include:
Privacy concerns – TikTok’s data collection practices have raised alarms, with the app accused of gathering more data than necessary. Users worried about how their information may be used want to delete accounts to protect privacy.
Embarrassing content – TikTok is known for viral challenges and trends. But some users later regret participating, finding old videos cringeworthy. Deleting accounts removes embarrassing content.
Changing interests – Interests can change over time. Users who no longer enjoy TikTok want to move on from old content that no longer represents them. Deleting accounts provides a fresh start.
According to one source, “So should you delete your accounts? Go ahead. Next time you delete a social media app, think about what parts of it aren’t serving you anymore” (source). Many users feel deleting accounts improves mental health and quality of life.
TikTok’s Account Deletion Policy
TikTok does not allow users to permanently delete their accounts. While users can deactivate their accounts through the app’s settings, this is only a temporary disablement. According to TikTok’s support site, “Deactivating your account hides your profile and all your content. Your profile and videos will not show up on TikTok.” [1]
However, deactivated accounts can easily be reactivated at any time by simply logging back into the app. Nowhere in TikTok’s account settings is there an option to permanently delete an account. The app only allows for deactivation, not full deletion. [2]
This has led to frustration among some users who want the ability to fully delete their TikTok presence, not just temporarily disable their account. But so far, TikTok has not budged on allowing permanent account deletion.
TikTok’s Reasons for No Deletion
TikTok does not allow users to delete their accounts for a couple key reasons. First, TikTok heavily relies on collecting and analyzing user data to improve its algorithms and services, as well as target advertising1. Allowing users to delete their account and data would undermine these core functions. Second, TikTok wants to retain as many users as possible to maintain engagement and growth. If users could easily delete their accounts, the company’s metrics would likely suffer2.
While inconvenient for users, TikTok is not legally required to allow account deletion. The company emphasizes that users can simply deactivate their account or delete all content if they wish to stop actively using TikTok.
User Frustrations with No Deletion
Many users have expressed frustration over TikTok’s policy of not allowing account deletion. The main concerns stem around privacy and the inability to fully remove one’s data from the platform.
Some users feel uncomfortable having their personal information and content remain on TikTok indefinitely after they wish to terminate their account. As privacy advocates have pointed out, this data could potentially be accessed and misused without users’ consent once they want to sever ties with the platform (Source).
Another major complaint is that TikTok does not provide a way to completely delete your account and all associated data. While users can delete individual videos, they cannot fully purge their presence from TikTok after deciding to leave. This makes many users uneasy knowing their data still resides on the servers (Source).
Some see this as a violation of their right to be forgotten and to control their digital footprint. The permanence and persistence of data on TikTok poses concerns around privacy, security, and user consent down the line.
Workarounds to Remove Content
While users cannot permanently delete their TikTok accounts, there are some workarounds to essentially make an account invisible and inaccessible. Here are some options users have to remove their content from TikTok without fully deleting the account:
- Delete all videos – Users can delete all of their individual videos from their profile page. This will remove all video content associated with the account.
- Change username – Changing the username makes it much harder to find the account, since old links with the previous username will no longer work.
- Make account private – Making the account private hides all content from public view. Only approved followers will be able to see any videos.
These workarounds allow users to remove their content and make their accounts very difficult to find and access. While not a true account deletion, it prevents most people from viewing the account’s content going forward. Some users resort to these measures when frustrated with not being able to fully delete their account from TikTok.
Calls for TikTok to Allow Deletion
Many consumers, regulators, and users have been calling on TikTok to change their account deletion policies and allow users to fully delete their accounts. Advocacy groups like Common Sense Media argue that not allowing account deletion is deceptive and takes advantage of younger users who may regret content they posted.
Government regulators have also put pressure on TikTok. For example, data protection regulators in the EU warned TikTok that not allowing users to delete accounts likely violates GDPR, which requires platforms to delete user data on request.
Many users have taken to internet forums like Reddit to complain and put collective pressure on TikTok. A widely shared Reddit thread decrying the inability to delete TikTok accounts galvanized users to submit deletion requests and bug reports to TikTok.
This rising chorus of voices demanding that TikTok allow account deletion highlights the growing public frustration over policies that seem deceptive and anti-consumer.
TikTok’s Response
In response to the public pressure and criticism around its account deletion policy, TikTok has remained firm that permanently deleting accounts is not an option. According to a statement on their website, “The nature of our product means that we have to be able to identify misuse and abuse of our platform and apply protective measures – including account deletion. Therefore, we do not generally permit users to delete their own accounts”1.
TikTok argues that allowing account deletion would interfere with their efforts to moderate content and identify bad actors on the platform. They believe permanently deleting accounts also makes it more difficult to enforce their terms of service2.
Despite the public pressure, TikTok has given no indication that they plan to change their policy prohibiting users from deleting their own accounts. They maintain that this policy is critical for upholding safety and moderation standards on the platform.
The Future of Account Deletion
With increasing scrutiny around issues of privacy and data protection, there is some speculation that TikTok may eventually allow account deletion in the future. According to a Quora thread, some users believe TikTok could add an account deletion feature to comply with regulations like the GDPR in Europe[1]. However, TikTok has not made any official announcements about allowing account deletion.
For now, the only way to remove your data from TikTok is to manually delete your videos and then deactivate your account. TikTok states that deactivated accounts may be deleted after prolonged inactivity, but there is no way for users to proactively delete their account entirely[2]. Many users argue TikTok should allow account deletion to give people more control over their data and online presence.
In closing, the inability to delete TikTok accounts frustrates users but is unlikely to change soon given TikTok’s business incentives. Users wishing to remove their presence can try deactivating accounts and deleting content, but must ultimately wait and see if TikTok ever adds an account deletion option.