TikTok is a popular social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos.
Our explainer guide describes how it works, why it’s popular with young people, and the risks parents should be aware of. Read the Explainer Guide here.
Tik Tok privacy and security settings
It’s important that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the privacy and security settings on apps and platforms your child or teen uses.
In 2021, TikTok introduced new privacy settings for registered account holders aged 13-15, which means some of the default settings will vary based on the registered age of the user. It is important to remember that some of these settings can be changed or users can bypass them by creating an account where they specify a different date of birth.
Note: The minimum age to sign up for TikTok is 13 years old. In Ireland, the digital consent age is set at 16. For children under this age, the consent of the child’s parents or guardians must be obtained.
We recommend taking the time to understand how the app works and to figure out the privacy and security settings.
These FAQs cover TikTok’s privacy settings, how to turn them on, how to block and report inappropriate content or behavior, and parenting recommendations.
Privacy on TikTok accounts
As of January 2021, accounts for Tik Tok users under the age of 16 are set to private by default, and accounts for users over this age are set to public by default. A private account means you need to approve people who can follow your account and watch your videos. With a private account, all TikTok users can still see your profile picture, username, and bio, so it’s important not to reveal any personal or sensitive information. While users under the age of 16 have a private TikTok account by default, there is an option to switch it to a public account.
ikTok video comments
As with many of TikTok’s privacy settings, the default options and whether these can be changed depend on the age of the user. For example, the default setting for users under the age of 16 is “Friends”, which means only people who follow you can comment on your videos. This can be changed to “no one” but not to “everyone”. For users over 16 years old, the default setting for comments is “Everyone”, this option can be changed in the “Settings & Privacy” menu.
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TikTok duet and stitching
TikTok’s “Duet” feature allows users to react to other people’s videos by recording their own video to play alongside the original.
The “Stitch” feature allows users to cut a section (max. 5 seconds) of another person’s video, record a new ending and share the new version they created.
Duet and Stitch features mean users can collaborate with other people who have made TikTok videos even if they don’t know or follow them.
The privacy options for these features vary. For users under the age of 16, they are set to “Only me” and cannot be changed. For other users, this setting can be changed to Friends, Everyone, or Just Me in the Settings & Privacy menu.
reporting
TikTok users can report other users, videos, comments, direct messages, hashtags, live videos and comments, and sounds.
To report a user, video, or direct message:
Click on the 2 dots at the top right of the screen
select report
