Guardian's guide

Updated: September 27, 2024

How TikTok works

TikTok is a short form video app. It is a place for fun and positive content created by real people around the world. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.

The core part of the TikTok experience is the For You feed, which is powered by a recommendation system. This system brings together all the interactions someone has with TikTok, such as whether they 'like' a video, leave a comment, or watch a video to the end, and uses those to curate a personalized For You feed. No two For You feeds are the same, which is what makes TikTok so special - everyone can find content they love.

While the spontaneity of the For You feed is what makes TikTok unique, it is intended for a range of audiences that includes everyone from teenagers to great grandparents. It is for this reason that certain content categories are not eligible for recommendation. Through Content Levels, we also work to minimize content with overtly mature themes from reaching teens under 18.

You can read more about how the For You feed works here.

Getting started

You can download TikTok from application platforms such as the Apple App Store and Google Play. TikTok has a 12+ rating in the Apple App Store and is listed as “Parental Guidance Recommended” in Google Play. If you don’t want your teen to download TikTok, these ratings mean you can prevent them from doing so using the parental controls available through these stores or platforms.

To sign up for TikTok, new users must provide their date of birth. From restricting access to certain features to tailoring the ads people can see, accurate age information helps community members have the correct, age-appropriate, experience.

In the US, we offer a curated, view-only experience for those under age 13 that includes additional safeguards and privacy protections. We partner with Common Sense Networks to select content that it deems to be both age-appropriate and safe for an audience under 13.

TikTok's rules

Our Community Guidelines set the rules for TikTok and help us to create a welcoming, safe, and entertaining experience. These apply to everyone and everything on our platform. We have a dedicated Youth Safety and Well-Being section which explains the steps we take to help keep young people safe and the types of content we age-restrict.

We design the TikTok experience for teens under 18 to be different from the experience for adults. For example:

  1. All accounts for teens under 18 start out as private. Teens can choose to make their account public, and if you've linked your accounts, you can change this choice by using Family Pairing.
  2. A daily screen time limit is set to 60 minutes for all accounts for teens under 18 by default. You and your teens can further customize this limit to suit their needs when Family Pairing is enabled.
  3. Only accounts for those ages 18 or older can go LIVE.
  4. Accounts for teens under 16 don't have access to direct messaging or group chat (where available).
  5. We don't allow content posted by accounts for teens under 16 to be recommended in the For You feed of people they don't know.

Family Pairing

With Family Pairing, parents or guardians can link their TikTok accounts to their teens' to manage a variety of content, privacy, and well-being settings. These include:

  1. Setting a screen time limit, customizable by the day of the week. When families set a screen time limit through Family Pairing, the teen has to ask the parent or guardian for a one-time passcode to continue using TikTok once the limit is reached.
  2. Customizable filtering of your teen's For You feed using keywords. TikTok will filter out videos that contain the keywords a family chooses by checking for them in the description of the video.
  3. Customize comment controls. Families can decide to further customize the teen's comment controls, for example, by completely turning off comments.


Setting up Family Pairing can be a great opportunity to start a dialogue with your teen about how they like to use TikTok and about the guardrails that are right for your family. You can find more information on how to set this up in our Help Center.

Tips from teens

We recognize that for a parent or guardian, it can feel overwhelming trying to keep up with new technology, and talking about online safety can seem daunting. We also hear from teens that they want their voices to be heard and respected. To help simplify things, we asked thousands of teens around the world to share how they'd like trusted adults in their lives to support them online. Here's what they told us:

1. Help me understand the rules

Teens don’t expect trusted adults to be experts on every app, but they value support to set up their accounts. This includes help with checking and understanding privacy and safety settings. They also told us parents shouldn’t be afraid to set boundaries; teens expect and even welcome them! Safety tools like TikTok’s Family Pairing features allow families to set parameters, which are especially important while teens are starting out online.

2. Be available to chat

Teens want trusted adults to be interested in their digital life and to recognize how important it is to them. Teens feel supported when they know they have an ally that is available to talk to them. Don’t be afraid to initiate a conversation. They appreciate hearing you understand that things can go wrong online and you’ll be there to help if they do—no matter how big or small the problem.

3. Don’t panic when things go wrong

Your teen has come to you for help—fantastic! They may be feeling vulnerable, scared, embarrassed, or upset, so let them know how happy you are that they’ve reached out. When they share their problem, be mindful of your reaction; teens told us being met with anger means they will avoid asking for help again. Equally, teens don’t want adults to minimize their worries—even if it’s hard to understand why it’s causing so much angst. Listen with an open mind, ask questions, and focus on solutions. If they’ve broken rules, teens expect there to be consequences, but they also want help to understand what to do differently to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

4. Trust me

Teens get that trust has to be earned, and they expect adult oversight—especially for younger teens. Just as in the “real” world, teens feel greater autonomy online is appropriate as they get older. Every teen is different and the pace at which a teen moves toward independent use of technology will vary, but if your teen knows how to navigate platforms safely and they come to you when things go wrong, that’s a great foundation for trust.

5. Respect my privacy

Striking a balance between a teenager’s expectation of privacy and ensuring they are safe is one of the trickiest aspects of parenting—on and offline. It can be tough when a teen tells you they’d rather you didn’t follow them online. It’s natural to worry they’re up to mischief, when really it’s likely they just want some space to hang out with friends without being monitored. There may be good reasons why you feel following your teen’s account is necessary. If so, teens say they want to understand your reasons and to explore ways to build trust. Older teens told us they feel protective of younger siblings and cousins and naturally look out for them online, so consider whether there’s someone else who your teen might be happy to have follow them in your place.

FAQs

What age do you need to be on TikTok?
  • In most parts of the world, you must be 13 or older to use TikTok. In the US, we offer a curated, view-only experience for those under age 13 that includes additional safeguards and privacy protections.
  • To support our efforts to provide an age-appropriate experience, we encourage you to talk to your teen about the importance of providing their real date of birth.
  • TikTok has a 12+ rating in the Apple App Store and is listed as “Parental Guidance Recommended” in Google Play. If you don’t want your teen to download TikTok, these ratings mean you can prevent them from doing so using the parental controls available through these stores or platforms.
How do I report someone under 13 on TikTok?
  • If we believe someone under 13 (or 14 in Indonesia, Quebec and South Korea) has a TikTok account, we will ban their account. You also have the option to report an account if you believe it may belong to someone under the minimum age to use TikTok.
How do I appeal an underage ban on TikTok?
  • If you are the parent, guardian, or other trusted adult of a teen whose account we ban for being under the minimum age to use TikTok, they may ask you to help them submit an appeal if they think we have made a mistake.
  • If your teen decides to appeal their ban, we’ll give them some options for confirming their date of birth. To submit an appeal, your teen must open TikTok, tap “Appeal” and follow the instructions provided. If you would like to learn more about how to help your teen submit an appeal, click here.
How can my teen stay private on TikTok?
  • All accounts for teens under 18 start out as private. Teens can choose to make their account public, and if you've linked your accounts, you can change this choice by using Family Pairing.
  • Direct Messaging is not available to accounts for teens under 16.
  • Our Help Center has details on all of our privacy settings.
How old do you have to be to go LIVE on TikTok?
  • You must be 18 to go LIVE on TikTok and to send and receive LIVE gifts. Learn more about LIVE safety here.
Can teens use TikTok Shop?
  • No, you must be 18 or older to use TikTok Shop.

Helpful resources

Our Teen Safety Center helps teens learn about the different features and safety tools available on TikTok.

You can also consult our Safety Center for a wide range of guides on topics such as online bullying, scams and understanding online challenges.

Digital Safety Partnership for Families

In partnership with the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), we've developed a Digital Safety Partnership for Families. This new resource is designed to help make it easier for families to start conversations about online experiences and set healthy digital boundaries together.