TikTok has 1.6+ billion users, but how many creators really read through TikTok community guidelines? Not many. If you’re spending time on creating videos, growing your followers and engaging with your community, you want to adhere to the rules.
You don’t want to build a following and then have your account banned because you made one misstep along the way.
We’re going to explain the four pillars of moderation on TikTok and then what creators need to be concerned about with every post that they create.
Learn and Adhere to TikTok’s 4 Pillars of Content Moderation
You can read TikTok’s Community Guidelines on the official website, but let’s summarize these lengthy guidelines so that you can better understand the ins and outs of what’s allowed on the platform.
First, you need to know that TikTok does the following:
- Removes any content that violates the rules in place.
- Verifies that age-restricted content is only accessible to people 18+.
- FYF standards are closely monitored so that the content promoted to you is appropriate.
- Empowers creators with tools and resources to succeed on the platform.
Creators must adhere to the principles recommended by TikTok when creating content.
What Principles Should Creators Follow?
You may know how to use TikTok, but when you create content, you should listen to the principles outlined by the platform:
- Be fair
- Respect context
- Protect individual privacy
- Allow free expression
- Prevent harm
- Remain civil
- Focus on inclusion
If you follow these principles, you’ll be well on your way to maintaining an account in good standing.
What are TikTok’s Age Requirements and Well-Being Policies?
Age restrictions are in place when using TikTok, including:
- All users must be 13+ years or older
- Under 13 experiences have a unique account experience
- Anyone who doesn’t meet age requirements will receive a ban
TikTok wants the platform to be safe for people of all ages, and this means ensuring that they don’t want content that can be dangerous, abusive, mature, include drugs or alcohol or break many of the rules we outline below.
What Type of Content Can Get You Banned on TikTok?
TikTok moderators will quickly ban your account, especially if it has a risk of negatively impacting the platform. You want to avoid content that can get you banned, such as:
- Violent or harms people/animals
- Criminal
- Incites violence
- Hate speech or behaviors
- Hateful ideologies
- Relating to hateful organizations or people
- Abuse
- Human, sexual or youth exploitation
- Bullying or harassment
- Self-harm or suicide-related content
- Eating disorder content that promotes these disorders
- Nudity or body exposure
- Sexual services
- Sexual activity
- Shocking content (i.e., gruesome or extreme violence)
- Any form of animal abuse
Be Careful of Posting Misinformation on TikTok
TikTok wants to be a place of authenticity and integrity. You’re not allowed to create content that is misleading or inaccurate if it can cause significant harm:
- Physically
- Psychologically
- Societally
Content cannot also lead to significant property damage, such as content that incites a riot and causes significant damage to a storefront.
Promotion of Certain Goods and Activities
TikTok aims to create a community that doesn’t harm a person’s personal finances or health. That’s why the promotion of certain goods and activities is either banned or heavily moderated.
TikTok does not allow the promotion of:
- Gambling services
- Young people drinking or using drugs or tobacco products
- Recreational drug use or the trading of alcohol or drugs
- Firearms or dangerous weapons
And if you’re going to promote something that isn’t prohibited on TikTok, you must disclose that your content is a paid promotion.
TikTok is Very Strict About Bullying and Harassment
TikTok takes user conduct very seriously. If your content, comments or messages bully or harass other users, your account may get banned.
According to TikTok, users are free to express different viewpoints, but the platform will not tolerate toxicity or trolling.
They do not allow behavior or language that:
- Humiliates
- Harasses
- Doxxes
- Threatens
When creating content and engaging with other people on TikTok, always be respectful if you want to make sure that you’re following their guidelines.
What Happens If You Violate TikTok’s Community Guidelines?
If you violate TikTok’s community guidelines, your account may get banned. In fact, TikTok states that they will ban users or accounts if they do the following:
- Receive a single severe content violation
- Have repeated content violations within a 90-day period
- Create accounts dedicated to activities that violate their rules (like accounts that focus on hate speech, the trade of illegal goods, spam or impersonation)
- Circumvention, such as trying to avoid an account ban by spreading violations across several accounts.
TikTok also says that they will ban users who are hateful or violent actors, or have been convicted of a sexual crime against a young person.
The social platform takes a lot of things into consideration, including off-platform activity, when deciding whether to ban an account. So, keep in mind that your conduct off the platform may cause you to get banned if you’re violating their community guidelines.
Most people won’t have to worry about this, though.Â
If you violate TikTok’s community guidelines, there’s also a chance that you could get shadow-banned. Luckily, there are ways to get unshadowbanned, like:
- Deleting content that violates TikTok’s community guidelines
- Limiting activities that may be perceived as spam
You can also wait two weeks to see if the ban is lifted.
Final Thoughts
Understanding TikTok’s community guidelines can help you become a better creator and grow your account. Focus on creating great, original content that uplifts and inspires, and you’ll have a much easier time avoiding bans and adhering to the platform’s guidelines.
