What Does a Private Account Mean on TikTok?
On TikTok, you can choose to make your account either public or private. With a public account, anyone can view and interact with your videos without needing your approval. But with a private account, you have more control over who can see and engage with your content.
According to TikTok, “Private accounts give creators an added level of privacy and control. When you turn your account private, you get to approve who sees and engages with your videos, LIVEs, and page.” https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/how-tiktok-recommends-videos-for-you
So in summary, a private TikTok account means only approved followers can view your videos, while a public account allows anyone to see your content. Going private gives you more selectivity over your audience.
Why Would an Account Automatically Be Set to Private?
TikTok sets accounts to private by default for minors under 16 to help protect their privacy and safety (https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/privacy-and-safety-settings-for-users-under-age-18). This prevents random users from viewing a minor’s content or contacting them directly.
Accounts for users aged 13-15 remain private unless the settings are manually changed. Once a user turns 16, their account will automatically switch to public if no changes have been made (https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/new-features-for-teens-and-families-on-tiktok-us).
Having underage accounts set to private by default allows parents to better monitor their teens’ TikTok activity. Only approved followers can view private content.
How to Check Your TikTok Account’s Privacy Settings
You can easily check your TikTok account’s current privacy settings by following these steps:
1. Open the TikTok app and tap on the “Me” tab at the bottom.
2. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu.
3. Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
4. Tap on “Privacy” to view your account’s privacy settings.
Here you can see options like making your account private or public, who can comment on your videos, who can duet with you, and more. The settings are clearly labeled so you can review each one.
TikTok gives you granular control over aspects like:
- Private account – Makes your account and videos only visible to followers you approve
- Comments – Choose who can comment on your videos
- Duets – Select who can use your videos to make duets
- Reactions – Pick who can react to your videos
- Downloads – Allow or disable others from saving your videos
Adjust these settings based on your preferences for privacy and interaction.
Setting a Minor’s TikTok Account to Private
Parents can set up Family Pairing on TikTok to manage their child’s account and privacy settings. With Family Pairing, parents can link their own TikTok account to their child’s account if the child is under 13 years old.
Once Family Pairing is enabled, the parent gains control over the privacy settings for their child’s TikTok account. By default, TikTok automatically sets all accounts for users under 18 to private for safety and security reasons.
Through Family Pairing, parents can keep their child’s account private or choose to make it public. Making a minor’s account private gives parents more control over who can view, comment on, and interact with their child’s content.
TikTok explains that when an under 18 user’s account is set to private via Family Pairing “only people they approve can follow them, view their videos, bio, likes as well as their following and followers lists.” This allows parents to better protect their child’s online presence and digital footprint.
Making Your TikTok Account Public
If you initially set your TikTok account to private or want to switch to a public profile, it’s easy to change your privacy settings. Public accounts allow for greater visibility and discovery, since anyone can view your profile and videos without needing approval to follow you.
Here’s how to make your TikTok account public:
- Open the TikTok app and tap on the “Me” tab in the bottom right.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap “Privacy and safety.”
- Under “Account privacy,” toggle the switch from private to public.
- Tap “Confirm” to make your account public.
Once you make your account public, anyone will be able to see your profile info, followers/following counts, likes, video views, and watch your videos without needing to send a follow request. You’ll gain more visibility, but lose control over who can access your account. Weigh the pros and cons before switching to public.
Pros and Cons of a Private Account
Having a private account on TikTok gives users more control over their followers and comments compared to a public account. With a private account, users must approve each new follower request before that person can view videos or interact. This prevents random people from commenting or messaging without permission.
Private accounts also allow creators to test out content and build an audience organically before going public. Since likes, comments, and analytics are still available, creators can refine their style and find their niche.
However, private accounts severely limit potential growth and reach on TikTok. Public accounts get much wider exposure through hashtags, the “For You” feed, and opportunities to go viral. New viewers can follow and engage without needing approval. This makes it significantly easier for public accounts to gain followers and build an audience.
Ultimately, creators need to weigh their desired level of control and privacy against the growth limitations of a private account. Those hoping to turn TikTok into a career may find it difficult to do so with a private profile.
Who Can See Your Videos on a Private Account?
When your TikTok account is set to private, the only people who can see your videos are followers you’ve approved. According to TikTok’s help documentation, “Only approved followers can see your private videos and likes. Your private videos won’t be shown on hashtags or in the Following feed.”
So when your account is private, your videos are no longer visible to the wider TikTok community – only to followers you’ve authorized. This allows you to limit access and share videos just with people you select. TikTok notes that private accounts are the way to go if you prefer a “smaller, more controlled audience.”
It’s important to understand that making your account private means your videos, likes, following list, and any other activity will be hidden from everyone except approved followers. So you maintain much more control over who sees your content this way.
How to Request Access to a Private Account
If you want to follow or view the content of a private TikTok account, you will need to send a request for access to the account owner.
To request access to a private account on TikTok, simply tap the Follow button on their profile. Even though the account is private, the Follow button will still be visible.
Tapping Follow will send a request notification to the owner of the private account. They will then have the option to approve or deny your request to follow their private account.
If the account owner approves your request, you will be able to view all of their private content. If they deny your request, you will not be able to see any of their videos or access their profile until they change the settings to public.
The account owner has full control over who can access their private account. As the requesting user, you will have to wait for them to manually review and approve your follow request before you can view their private videos and profile.
To increase your chances of getting approved, it can help to have an established connection or existing relationship with the private account owner on TikTok or other platforms.
For more details, see TikTok’s guide on how to follow a private account.
Tips for Managing a Private TikTok Account
Here are some tips for managing your private TikTok account effectively:
Review follow requests regularly. Check your pending follow requests on a consistent basis by going to your profile, tapping the three-dot menu icon, and selecting “Manage my account” then “Followers” and “Requests.” This allows you to stay on top of who is asking to see your private content.
Block unwanted followers. If you get a follow request from an account you don’t want to connect with, you can always decline or block that user so they can’t attempt to follow you again. Tap “Block” next to their username.
Be selective about approving requests. Just because someone requests to follow you doesn’t mean you have to approve them. Vet each request and only accept follows from people you know and trust. Decline requests from strangers or accounts that look suspicious.
Keeping your account private requires some extra management, but gives you greater control over who can access your profile and videos. Stay active in curating your followers list and blocking unwelcome accounts. According to TikTok’s account safety guidelines, being selective can help prevent unwanted interactions.
Switching Back to a Public Account
If you decide you want to switch your TikTok account back to public, it’s easy to change the settings.
Go to your profile and tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. Select “Settings and privacy” then “Privacy.” Here you can toggle the “Private account” setting to off to make your account public again.
When you switch from private to public, any followers you previously approved to see your private content will remain approved. So your account will automatically be public to all of your existing followers.
The rest of your account settings will stay the same. Switching to public will simply allow anyone to view your profile and videos without needing approval.
You can always switch back and forth between private and public as needed. Just keep in mind that any followers you had approved on a private account will still have access when public.
