Community Guidelines

TikTok · agreement dated September 24, 2026 · Official agreement

176 cards.

Page 1 of 12: Community Guidelines — Overview

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/overview

Community Guidelines

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

TikTok is where people discover things they love, build communities, and express themselves. Our mission is simple: we want to inspire creativity and bring joy.

We have Community Guidelines to help keep TikTok a safe and positive experience. These rules apply to everyone and everything on our platform.

You're in the right place if you're wondering:

We’ve organized our Community Guidelines by topic to make information easier to find. Under each category, you’ll find a “More information” section. That’s where we define key terms, answer common questions, and share helpful examples. These examples are meant to guide you, but they don't cover every situation.

If you're ever unsure about what to post, just remember to be kind and treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Thanks for helping to keep TikTok a welcoming space for everyone!

Our Rules

We strive for Community Guidelines that are easy to understand. We’ve created a quick summary of what we don’t allow across each of the major topics covered in our Community Guidelines. If you're looking for more details, they can be found after this section.

Safety and Civility

Mental and Behavioral Health

Sensitive and Mature Themes

Integrity and Authenticity

Regulated Goods, Services, and Commercial Activities

Privacy and Security

Want a closer look at these rules, how we enforce them, and how they apply across different areas? We encourage you to keep reading.

Content Moderation

We want TikTok to be a safe, fun, and creative place for everyone. Here’s how we support that goal:

We Remove Content

Everyone on TikTok can share content, but when we identify content that falls under the “Not Allowed” rules in our Community Guidelines, we’ll remove it.

We Age-Restrict Content

Some content may not be appropriate for people under 18. When we identify content that falls under the “Age-Restricted” standards in our Community Guidelines, we make it viewable only for adults.

For You Feed Standards

The For You Feed is designed to help you discover a variety of content and creators, and for creators to reach new audiences and build thriving communities. However, not all content is guaranteed to be recommended. When we identify content that falls under the “FYF Ineligible” standards in our Community Guidelines, it won't be recommended in the FYF. You can read more about what qualifies here.

We give you tools and resources to stay informed and in control

You are empowered to manage your experience on TikTok. We provide a safety toolkit that helps you customize your content preferences and account settings, and manage interactions. In addition, for some content, you'll see opt-in screens or banners to give you more context about a post.

You can also visit our Safety Center resources for extra support.

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Page 2 of 12: Community Guidelines — Community Principles

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/community-principles

Community Principles

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

TikTok has eight core principles that guide how we develop our rules and how we make complex enforcement decisions. They’re all about keeping you safe, respecting human rights, and supporting a creative and welcoming community. We developed these principles with the foundational goal of preventing harm and enabling expression.

At times, we have to make difficult tradeoffs between competing goals. When that happens, we approach the decision thoughtfully and rely on trusted guidance, including:

Here are the eight principles:

  • Prevent Harm: Keeping TikTok safe and fun is our top priority. Harm can look different—it might be physical, emotional, or even financial. To strike the right balance with free expression, we restrict content only when necessary and in a way that seeks to minimize the impact on speech.
  • Support Free Expression: TikTok thrives on creativity. We honor this principle by providing the opportunity to share freely on our platform, while also proactively addressing behavior that can inhibit the speech of others. However, free expression isn't an absolute right. It's always considered in proportion to the potential harm, and can result in your content being removed or not recommended in the FYF.
  • Encourage Kindness and Respect: We aim to foster a space where people treat each other with empathy and dignity. Our approach is designed to help prevent content that demeans or dehumanizes others, making TikTok a safer and more welcoming place for everyone.
  • Respect Local Cultures: People use TikTok in over 150 countries. We work with local experts to make sure that our global approach considers the way harms are experienced across regions, and that we allow for regional applications of our guidelines while upholding human rights standards.
  • Champion Inclusion: We celebrate the diverse cultures and experiences that make up our TikTok community. We also recognize that some communities have historically faced barriers to participation and expression, and we’re committed to reducing disproportionate harms.
  • Protect Privacy: We are committed to protecting the privacy of our community and anyone shown or discussed on the platform. We strive to ensure that content doesn't expose anyone’s personal information or invade their intimate privacy.
  • Be Transparent and Consistent: We want everyone to know what our rules and standards are, and how we apply them. We seek to provide clear notice of our policies and practices, to apply them consistently, and to share our enforcement efforts at our Transparency Center.
  • Act Fairly: Evaluating millions of pieces of content each day is a complex effort, but we’re committed to being impartial, clear, and providing opportunities to appeal.

In rare and exceptional situations—such as crises or moments of social unrest—we may adjust our usual enforcement or rules to protect our community and address emerging harms, while remaining guided by our principles.

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Page 3 of 12: Community Guidelines — Youth Safety and Well-Being

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/youth-safety

Youth Safety and Well-Being

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

We're committed to making TikTok a safe and positive experience for everyone, especially for people under 18. This is who we mean when we refer to “youth” or “young people” in these Community Guidelines. To help keep the platform safer for this age group, we:

Age Restrictions and Safety Features

You need to be at least 13 years old to create a TikTok account. In some places, the minimum age may be different based on local laws. In the United States, kids under the minimum required age get a separate TikTok experience that includes extra protections like:

If you create a new account in the United States and are under 13, you will automatically enter into this experience.

We remove accounts when we believe the user is under the minimum age required to have one. If we believe someone isn’t old enough for features with a minimum age requirement, we’ll restrict their access to those features. If your account was removed and you think it was a mistake, you can file an appeal. Anyone can report an account they believe belongs to someone who’s too young to have an account—either in the app or online.

We know that parents sometimes post content featuring their children. If you do so, it needs to be clear that the account belongs to an adult. The bio, profile picture, or username are good places to do this.

Youth Safety Enforcement

We don’t allow content that could harm young people—physically, emotionally, or developmentally. If we become aware an account holder has committed a sexual offense against a young person, we will ban the account, as well as any other accounts belonging to that person. We report incidents of youth sexual abuse and exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). We also report to relevant law enforcement authorities when there is a specific, credible, and imminent threat to human life or serious physical injury.

Learn more at our Teen Safety Center and Guardian’s Guide.

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Page 4 of 12: Community Guidelines — Safety and Civility

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/safety-civility

Safety and Civility

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

Feeling safe and respected is important for everyone’s well-being, and treating each other with kindness and civility helps communities thrive. Being respectful doesn’t mean you have to agree—it just means treating people with dignity.

Violent and Criminal Behavior

TikTok is about bringing people together, not promoting conflict. We don't allow threats, glorifying violence, or promoting crimes that could harm people, animals, or property.

If there is a specific, credible, and imminent threat to human life or serious physical injury, we report it to relevant law enforcement authorities.

For details on how we approach content that shows violence without encouraging it, see our Shocking and Graphic Content section.

More information

NOT ALLOWED

ALLOWED

Hate Speech and Hateful Behavior

TikTok is a place for diverse communities to connect—not for spreading hate. We don't allow hate speech, hateful behavior, or promotion of hateful ideologies. That includes content that attacks people based on protected attributes like race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Discussions about social and political issues are welcome, but they must be respectful. Content that indirectly demeans or furthers exclusion of protected groups may not be eligible for the FYF.

To account for regional and cultural sensitivities, we may reduce visibility or remove content that disparages religion in regions where it has a greater chance of causing harm.

Learn more about how we combat hate on TikTok, and how you can use tools to restrict interactions with your content and account.

More information

Hateful Ideologies: Systems of beliefs that exclude, oppress, or otherwise discriminate against individuals based on their protected attributes.

Protected Groups: Individuals or communities that share protected attributes.

Protected Attributes: Personal characteristics that you are born with, are immutable, or would cause severe psychological harm if you were forced to change them or were attacked because of them. This includes:

The attributes listed above are informed by internationally recognized global human rights standards. We also provide age-related protections, and may consider other protected attributes when we have additional context, such as specific regional information provided to us by a local non-governmental organization (NGO).

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

ALLOWED

Violent and Hateful Organizations and Individuals

We want you to share what inspires you, but TikTok isn't a place to encourage violence or hate. That’s why we don’t allow the presence of violent and hateful organizations or individuals on our platform. This includes:

If we become aware that any of these actors may be on our platform, we will conduct a thorough review—including assessment of off-platform behavior—which may result in account bans.

We also don't allow anyone to promote, support, recruit for, or help these actors in any way. Content that may appear neutral, such as featuring a quote from a hateful organization or individual, must make clear that there is no intent to promote it. We make limited exceptions for discussions about violent political organizations.

More information

Material Support: The act of giving money, goods, services, or other help to promote violent or hateful actors. This includes fundraising, recruitment, or selling merchandise.

Violent Extremist Entities: Non-state groups or individuals who engage in or advocate for violence against civilians, to advance political, religious, ethnic, or ideological objectives, in ways recognized as violating international norms.

Violent Criminal Organizations: Transnational, national, or local groups that commit serious crimes, including violence, trafficking, and kidnapping.

Violent Political Organizations: Non-state actors that commit violent acts primarily against state actors (such as a national military) rather than civilians, as part of ongoing political disputes (such as territorial claims).

Hateful Organizations: Groups that target people based on protected attributes, dehumanize others, and promote hateful ideologies.

NOT ALLOWED

ALLOWED

Youth Sexual and Physical Abuse

We’re committed to making TikTok a safe and supportive space for young people. We don’t allow sharing, showing, promoting, or engaging in abuse or exploitation of youth. This includes:

When we find content or accounts involved in youth sexual abuse or exploitation, we report them to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). We also report to relevant law enforcement authorities when there is a specific, credible, and imminent threat to human life or serious physical injury.

If you ever come across suspected CSAM, report it immediately in the app or on our website. Never download, record, or share this kind of content.

If you or someone you know has experienced abuse:

More information

Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): Sexual content involving a young person, including anything that shows or suggests abuse or sexual activity. This covers content created by others or the young person themselves, and includes digital or AI-generated images. It also includes anything that sexualizes or fetishizes a young person’s body.

Grooming: The act of trying to build a close or trusting relationship with a young person to later abuse or exploit them.

Sextortion: The act of threatening to share nude or sexual content without permission—usually to demand money, sex, or more explicit content.

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

ALLOWED

Adult Sexual Abuse

We are committed to providing a space that embraces gender equity, supports healthy relationships, and respects intimate privacy. We don't allow content that shows or promotes the sexual abuse or exploitation of adults. This includes:

If you or someone you know has experienced abuse:

More information

Sextortion: The act of threatening to share nude or sexual content without permission—usually to demand money, sex, or more explicit content.

Non-Consensual Sexual Acts: Sexual contact that happens without the consent of everyone involved in the activity. This includes any non-consensual sexual contact, such as rape and molestation.

Image-Based Sexual Abuse: Having, sharing, or creating intimate images (real or edited) of someone without their consent, especially for sexual purposes. This includes content that seems to have been taken with consent, but is distributed without it.

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

ALLOWED

Human Trafficking and Smuggling

We respect human dignity and are committed to protecting people from exploitation. That’s why we don’t allow content that promotes or facilitates human trafficking or smuggling.

When we identify human trafficking and smuggling content with a specific, credible, and imminent threat to human life or serious physical injury, we alert law enforcement. In addition, when we identify youth sex trafficking content, we report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

More information

Human Trafficking: A form of modern slavery that can occur domestically or internationally, and involves the recruitment of victims, coordination of their transport, and their exploitation using force, fraud, coercion, or deception. It can include:

Human Smuggling: Earning a profit by helping a person to illegally enter another country. It can include providing transportation and consultation, as well as identity and travel document fraud.

NOT ALLOWED

ALLOWED

Harassment and Bullying

We welcome respectful discussion and believe everyone should feel safe sharing their voice. We don’t allow harassment or bullying, including when it’s done in retaliation.

Content that includes lower-severity degrading behavior may be ineligible for the FYF. In some cases, we may remove this content when additional context is available—such as when it targets someone under 18 and could contribute to more serious harm.

We recognize that public figures face greater attention and some content about them may serve the public interest. As a result, we allow more critical commentary about public figures than private figures. However, we still remove content that is most harmful—such as doxing, sexual harassment, or any other violation of our policies, including violent threats, hate speech, or sexual exploitation.

If you or someone you know is being bullied or harassed, support resources are available. You can also use our tools to restrict unwanted interactions with your content and account.

More information

Doxing: Publishing or threatening to publish personal information about someone online with malicious intent. We recognize intent can be subjective, so we use objective indicators to help us understand it, such as captions and hashtags.

Sexual Harassment: The sexualization or sexual degradation of an individual through language or behaviors relating to sexual activities, intimate body parts, and sexual health information.

Public Figures: People 18 and older with a significant public role, such as a government official, politician, business leader, or celebrity. We don't identify people under 18 as public figures.

Private Figures: All people under 18, and adults who aren't public figures.

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

ALLOWED

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Page 5 of 12: Community Guidelines — Mental and Behavioral Health

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/mental-behavioral-health

Mental and Behavioral Health

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

We care deeply about your well-being. TikTok is a place to engage, have fun, and find a sense of belonging, while fostering both mental and physical wellness. We work hard to keep it that way.

Suicide and Self-Harm

We want TikTok to be a place where you can discuss emotionally complex topics in a supportive way without increasing the risk of harm. We don't allow showing, promoting, or sharing plans for suicide or self-harm.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. Reach out to a suicide prevention helpline or contact emergency services. If we see a specific, credible, and imminent threat—like someone posting a plan to hurt themselves—we may reach out to emergency services ourselves.

More information

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

Keep in mind that content with highly graphic imagery is generally not allowed, regardless of intent.

ALLOWED

Disordered Eating, Risky Weight Management, and Body Image

We want you to feel confident in creating and sharing as your authentic self, without pressure to compare your body to others. That’s why we don’t allow content that promotes disordered eating and risky weight management behaviors. We also don’t allow trading, marketing, or providing access to weight-related products and services that include exaggerated or harmful claims.

In some regions, licensed and regulated medical entities with a verified business account on TikTok may be allowed to market or provide access to certain health products or services.

If you or someone you know is experiencing concerns about body image, food, or exercise, please reach out to a local helpline.

More information

Disordered Eating and Risky Weight Management includes:

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

Keep in mind that content with highly graphic imagery is generally not allowed, regardless of intent.

AGE-RESTRICTED

ALLOWED

Dangerous Activity and Challenges

We welcome opportunities to participate in fun and creative trends. Most activities or challenges are suitable for everyone and bring people together, but some pose a risk of significant injury. That’s why we don’t allow content that shows or promotes dangerous activities or challenges.

We remove content that depicts activities likely to be imitated and that could cause significant physical harm. Content showing activities that may lead to moderate physical harm is ineligible for the FYF, restricted to users 18 and older, and may include a warning label. We also apply warning labels to content featuring stunts, combat sports, or extreme sports performed by professionals.

Learn more about what to do if you see a dangerous online challenge.

More information

Dangerous Activity and Challenges: Behavior done by non-professionals that carries clear risks, like dares, games, tricks, engaging in risky driving, or eating harmful items.

Significant Physical Harm: Injuries that usually require medical treatment and may cause temporary or lasting disability or disfigurement, such as broken bones, serious burns, poisoning, concussion, or choking.

Moderate Physical Harm: Minor injuries that likely don’t require medical care, like small cuts with light bleeding or bruises.

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

ALLOWED

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Page 6 of 12: Community Guidelines — Sensitive and Mature Themes

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/sensitive-mature-themes

Sensitive and Mature Themes

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

TikTok welcomes a range of content, from family-friendly to more mature. Because our community is global, we consider cultural and regional differences when handling content that may be sensitive. To respect local norms, we may apply these guidelines differently depending on the region.

Body Exposure and Sexualized Behaviors

TikTok is a place to celebrate who you are—your identity, your body, and your culture. It’s also a space where you can learn and have conversations about topics like sexuality and reproductive health. At the same time, we want to protect young people and respect diverse cultural norms. That’s why we don’t allow certain types of body exposure or sexualized behavior, including:

While we generally don’t allow adult nudity or sexual activity, we make limited exceptions for documentaries, sex education, fiction, and art. We also recognize that ideas about clothing and body exposure vary across cultures, and reflect local norms in how we apply these rules.

Some content, like significant adult body exposure or sexually suggestive behavior involving adults, is age-restricted and ineligible for the FYF.

More information

Intent: We don’t remove content just because someone finds it sexually arousing. The creator’s intent matters, which we infer by looking at context: bios, hashtags, captions, and sounds. We also understand that what's considered "suggestive" varies by region.

Nudity: Being unclothed and showing body parts that are typically covered based on cultural norms.

Significant Body Exposure: Being mostly unclothed or nearly nude. This includes implied nudity or wearing clothing that barely covers genitals, buttocks, or nipples.

Intimate Kissing: Kissing that suggests the start of a sexual interaction.

Sexualized Framing: Content that focuses on clothed intimate body parts through camera angles, editing, body positioning, or other methods and techniques.

Sexually Suggestive Acts: Movements or actions meant to arouse, like imitating sexual acts or highlighting intimate body parts. This includes thrusting, striptease, or licking objects with sexual expressions.

Sexually Explicit Language: Graphic descriptions of sexual acts, fantasies, or body parts, including kinks or fetishes.

Sex Product: Any object or device designed to be used for sexual pleasure, like a sex toy.

NOT ALLOWED

Learn more about CSAM in Youth Sexual and Physical Abuse

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

FYF INELIGIBLE

ALLOWED

Shocking and Graphic Content

TikTok is a place to discover content that sparks joy, not shock or disgust. That’s why we don’t allow anything extremely gory, disturbing, or violent, especially when it could cause psychological harm.

Some content that’s less graphic or shared in the public interest may be allowed, but it may be viewable only for users 18 and older or ineligible for the FYF. This includes:

We may also add a warning to help you manage your experience, especially for potentially distressing scenes.

More information

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

Keep in mind that some of the most graphic imagery, such as footage of an individual’s violent death by mutilation, is generally not allowed.

FYF INELIGIBLE

ALLOWED

Animal Abuse

TikTok is a place that respects animals and celebrates the role they play in our lives across different cultures. We don't allow animal abuse, cruelty, neglect, or any other form of animal exploitation.

Learn more about animal abuse, including how to contact animal welfare organizations in your region.

More information

Poaching: Wildlife hunting without clear legal permission.

Bestiality: Sexual activity between a human and an animal.

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE

ALLOWED

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Page 7 of 12: Community Guidelines — Integrity and Authenticity

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/integrity-authenticity

Integrity and Authenticity

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

TikTok is all about having authentic experiences—from the accounts you follow, to the content you see. We want you to feel confident that what you’re watching is reliable, original, and shared by real people. This trust is what helps build strong communities both on and off-platform.

Misinformation

In a global community, people will have different opinions—but we aim to ground those conversations in facts. That's why we don't allow misinformation that could cause significant harm to individuals or society, no matter the intent of the person posting it. This includes hoaxes, misleading AIGC, harmful conspiracy theories, and other false information related to public safety, crises, or major civic events—when such content may lead to violence or cause public panic. We work with independent fact-checkers and experts to assess the accuracy of content, and we factor their assessments into our moderation decisions.

Content is ineligible for the FYF if it contains misinformation that may cause moderate harm to individuals or society. To be cautious, unverified information about crises, major civic events, or content temporarily under review by fact-checkers is also ineligible for the FYF. We may also apply warning labels or prompt users to pause before sharing unconfirmed content.

More information

Misinformation: False or misleading content.

Significant Harm: Serious physical injury or death, severe psychological harm (such as trauma), large-scale property damage, or societal harm, including the undermining of fundamental social systems or institutions.

Conspiracy Theories: Beliefs about unexplained events, or claims that involve rejecting generally accepted explanations for events. This includes suggesting they were carried out by covert or powerful individuals or groups.

Hoaxes: False, fabricated, or misrepresented claims presented as facts.

NOT ALLOWED

  • Misinformation that poses a risk to public safety or incites panic, including falsely presenting past crisis events as recent or claiming that critical resources are unavailable during emergencies
  • Health misinformation that could cause significant harm, such as promoting unproven treatments that may be fatal, discouraging professional care for life-threatening conditions (e.g., vaccine effectiveness), or spreading false information about how such conditions are transmitted
  • Misinformation that denies the existence of climate change, misrepresents its causes, or contradicts its established environmental impact
  • Conspiracy theories or hoaxes that could cause significant harm, such as those that make a violent call to action or have links to previous violence

FYF INELIGIBLE

  • Conspiracy theories that assign blame to powerful groups or institutions, such as "the government" or a "secret society," and are likely to undermine public confidence or distort a matter of public importance
  • Health misinformation that can result in moderate harm, such as false claims about treating non-life threatening conditions like the common cold
  • Sharing unedited media that is presented out of context and may mislead a person about a topic of public importance. For example, showing a crowd at a music concert and falsely calling it a political protest
  • Misuse of authoritative sources to push misleading conclusions, such as selectively referencing certain scientific data to support a conclusion that is counter to the findings of the study
  • Unverified claims about a crisis or major civic event
  • Viral misinformation that poses an elevated risk of undermining the integrity of the information ecosystem or eroding trust in institutions, organizations, or businesses

ALLOWED

Civic and Election Integrity

Elections are important events that often spark lively conversations and debate. We aim to respect these discussions while ensuring TikTok remains a space that brings people together. We welcome informed civic conversations, but draw the line at content that could mislead voters or cause real-world harm. That includes misinformation that could prevent people from voting, interfere with elections, or encourage the unlawful disruption of results.

We classify eligible political TikTok accounts as Government, Politician, and Political Party Accounts and apply a set of policies that prevent the use of certain features. These accounts aren't allowed to participate in incentive programs or creator monetization features.

We also don't allow paid political advertising. This includes creators being compensated for making branded political content, and the use of other promotional tools on the platform, such as Promote. We prohibit advertising of any kind by political figures and entities, and suspected paid political advertising is ineligible for the For You feed. However, eligible government entities may advertise in specific, approved categories—such as public health and safety information, tourism, and culture—after completing a certification process. Additionally, official electoral management bodies may run informational ads about election processes.

To help you manage your TikTok experience, we may add warning labels to content that our fact-checking partners cannot verify. Learn more about our election integrity work.

More information

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE

Edited Media and AI-Generated Content (AIGC)

We welcome creativity, including when it comes from new digital tools like generative artificial intelligence (AI). But generative AI and editing can blur the line between fact and fiction. To help keep content on TikTok trustworthy and provide people with important context about what they are viewing, we require creators to label AI-generated or significantly edited content that shows realistic-looking scenes or people. Unlabeled content may be removed, restricted, or labeled by our team, depending on the harm it could cause.

Even with labels, some edited or AI-generated content can still be harmful. We don’t allow content that’s misleading about matters of public importance or harmful to individuals.

More information

AI-Generated Content (AIGC): Any image, video, or audio made or changed by AI. This can include realistic scenes or artistic styles, like anime, cartoons, or paintings.

Significantly Edited Content: Media that makes it seem like someone did or said something they didn’t, or alters their appearance so much that they’re unrecognizable. This includes:

Realistic-Appearing Scenes or People: Content that looks like it could be real, such as AI-generated images that look like real photographs or footage.

Likeness: A recognizable image, video, or audio representation of a person, including their face, body, voice, and gestures.

Public Figures: People 18 and older with a significant public role, such as a government official, politician, business leader, or celebrity. We don't identify people under 18 as public figures.

Private Figures: All people under 18, and adults who aren't public figures.

REQUIRED DISCLOSURE (using the AIGC label or a clear caption, watermark, or sticker)

You must label content that uses AI or includes significant edits to show realistic-looking people or scenes. You can add your own clear caption, sticker, or watermark. For AI-generated content, you can also use our AIGC label.

Disclosure is needed when content isn't harmful but could be confusing, including when:

Disclosure isn't needed when:

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE

ALLOWED

Unoriginal Content and Intellectual Property Rights

The creativity on TikTok is what makes our community special. We want to protect that. You should only post content you created or have the right to share. We don't allow content that violates someone else's intellectual property (IP) rights. If we become aware of content that breaks these rules, we will remove it. Learn more about our IP policies.

Content is also ineligible for the FYF if it includes unoriginal or reused material without anything new.

If you think your copyright or trademark rights have been violated, you can submit a copyright or trademark report through our in-app tools.

More information

Intellectual Property (IP): Legal rights that protect creative work you’ve made.

Copyrights: Legal protections for original works like music, videos, or artwork. They cover how the idea is expressed, not the idea or fact itself.

Trademarks: Words, symbols, slogans, or designs that identify and set apart a product or service from others.

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE

Deceptive Behaviors and Fake Engagement

We want TikTok to be a trustworthy space where people around the world can create, connect, and learn. Authentic engagement is core to that experience—it helps power the recommendations you see.

That’s why we don’t allow accounts that mislead or try to manipulate our platform, or the trade of services that artificially boost engagement or trick the recommendation system. This includes behaviors like covert influence operations, impersonation, spam, fake reviews, and sharing hacked materials in harmful ways. You can have multiple accounts—for example, for fan content or creative expression—but not to deceive others or break the rules. If we find deceptive account behavior, we may:

We strictly prohibit automation tools, scripts, or other tricks designed to bypass our systems. These can result in content removal, account bans, or other enforcement. If your account is restricted or banned, you may not create or use another account to get around it.

If we detect accounts or content with inauthentic metrics, we’ll remove fake likes, followers, or other inflated signals. Content that tries to manipulate people into giving gifts or inflating likes or follows isn’t eligible for the FYF.

More information

Covert Influence Operations (CIO): Coordinated, inauthentic behaviors where networks of accounts work together to mislead people or our systems and try to strategically influence public discussion. This may include attempting to undermine the results of an election, influencing parts of an armed conflict, or shaping public discussion of social issues.

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE

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Page 8 of 12: Community Guidelines — Regulated Goods, Services, and Commercial Activities

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/regulated-commercial-activities

Regulated Goods, Services, and Commercial Activities

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

TikTok is a place to share and learn about all kinds of products and services, but some may come with higher risks—like addiction, danger, or fraud. We moderate content about regulated or commercial activities to help prevent physical or financial harm. In some cases, when potential harms can be mitigated by additional controls, we allow limited paid advertising from verified business accounts that meet TikTok’s policies and legal requirements.

Regulated Goods and Services

We don’t allow trading, marketing, or providing access to regulated, prohibited, or high-risk goods and services. For the most harmful goods and services, we prohibit both promotion and showing their use. For certain products like alcohol, we allow some content, but may apply restrictions to reduce potential risks. Learn more about substance use support here, and gambling resources here.

In some regions and on LIVE, our treatment of this type of content may be different. We provide limited exceptions for verified business accounts and verified TikTok Shop sellers meeting our standards.

Learn how to apply for verifed business account authorization here.

More information

Trade: The sale, purchase, exchange, giveaway, or redirection of goods or services. This includes posting links, sharing contact or location information, or directing people off-platform.

Tobacco and Vaping Products: Combustible tobacco (like cigarettes), smokeless tobacco (like chewing tobacco), synthetic nicotine, and vaping products (including nicotine and non-nicotine variants), such as E-cigarettes, and other electronic nicotine delivery systems.

Regulated Substances: Illegal drugs, prescription or over-the-counter medications, compressed air canisters (whippets), nitrite poppers, and products marketed for weight loss or muscle gain.

Firearms: Professionally manufactured or improvised weapons (like ghost guns or 3D-printed guns), accessories, and ammunition.

Gambling: Betting money or something of value on uncertain outcomes for financial gain.

Gambling-like activities may not involve money, as can be the case with social casinos or mystery boxes.

Mystery Value Products: Goods with unknown or variable worth, including money or in-game currency.

High-Risk Financial Services: Products or activities involving the management of money and other financial assets that are predatory, contain extreme risks, or lack transparency.

Invasive Cosmetic Procedures: Procedures or treatments that involve cutting the skin or using needles to modify one's appearance.

Restricted Medical Services: Services that involve the diagnosis or treatment of a physical or mental health condition, where an official license is required to operate.

NOT ALLOWED

FYF INELIGIBLE & AGE-RESTRICTED

ALLOWED

Commercial Disclosure and Paid Marketing

We value authentic viewpoints and want discussions on TikTok about products and services to be open and honest. If you’re posting commercial content on TikTok, you must clearly disclose it using the content disclosure setting. This helps people understand when you're marketing something.

Disclosure is required when you’re:

All branded content must also follow TikTok’s Branded Content Policy, Ads Creative Policy, and Industry Entry Policy.

If we find commercial content that hasn’t been properly disclosed, we may reduce its visibility or apply the content disclosure setting. Repeated failure to make a disclosure can lead to your account being temporarily restricted from posting content, or can lead to an account ban.

We don't allow any form of paid political advertising on TikTok. Learn more about our policy regarding Government, Politician and Political Party accounts.

More information

Disclosures: Clear statements that explain your connection to the product or service.

REQUIRED DISCLOSURE (using the content disclosure setting)

Frauds and Scams

TikTok is a place where you can learn from and engage with a wide variety of topics, and we don't want anyone to take advantage of your desire to engage and explore new topics. That's why we don't allow any attempts to scam, trick or defraud people. This includes helping with financial scams, impersonating a celebrity to sell something or communicate with users, or fraud of any kind. Learn more about how to identify online scams and protect yourself.

NOT ALLOWED

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Page 9 of 12: Community Guidelines — Privacy and Security

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/privacy-security

Privacy and Security

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

Keeping your personal information safe—and making sure TikTok stays secure—is a big part of earning your trust.

Personal Information

What you share online can reach anyone. That’s why we don’t allow content with personal information that could lead to stalking, identity theft, fraud, or other harm. This includes content that someone has posted themselves or that they consented to being shared by others.

We may also remove moderate risk personal information shared without consent if it puts someone at risk of psychological harm. We generally require additional context to remove these types of personal information.

If you think your privacy has been violated, you can report it here.

More information

High Risk Personal Information: Information that is characterized by a heightened potential to cause physical, financial, or psychological harm to the individual. It includes:

Moderate Risk Personal Information: Information that isn't inherently risky, but may still cause harm—like emotional distress, reputational damage, or unwanted contact—especially when combined with other data. Examples include:

NOT ALLOWED

Platform Security

We work hard to keep TikTok safe, secure, and running smoothly. That includes stopping any attempts to break into the platform, steal information, or abuse our systems.

We advise against clicking suspicious links or sharing your private account information. If suspicious activity associated with an account is detected, we may require a user to complete some verification steps—such as SMS or email confirmation, CAPTCHA, or a login via a verified mobile device—to confirm that they own the account. Learn more about our approach to privacy and security here.

More information

NOT ALLOWED

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Page 10 of 12: Community Guidelines — For You feed Eligibility Standards

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/fyf-standards

For You feed Eligibility Standards

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

The FYF is the heart of the TikTok experience. It's where you can discover new interests and hobbies, and where creators build thriving new communities. It’s powered by a recommendation system that helps connect you to content, creators, and topics you might enjoy. The system looks at things like what you like, share, comment on, and search for, as well as what’s trending. Learn more about the tools that help you understand and customize your recommendations.

We maintain content eligibility standards for the FYF that prioritize safety, and are informed by the diversity of our community and cultural practices. While the spontaneity of the FYF is what makes TikTok unique, it's intended for a range of audiences that includes everyone from teenagers to great grandparents. We make ineligible for the FYF certain content that may not be suitable for a broad audience. Learn more about the types of content we leave out from the FYF in the “FYF Ineligible” sections throughout our Community Guidelines.

Even if a video doesn’t make it to the FYF, people may still find it through search or by going to a creator's account. If a video isn’t getting many views, it also doesn’t necessarily mean it broke a rule. Creators can check TikTok’s analytics to see how their videos are performing, including if there were any made ineligible for recommendation.

Our recommendation system is built to help people discover and enjoy a wide range of content—not just the same kinds of videos over and over. We aim to prevent our systems from repeatedly recommending content that could lead to a negative experience, such as extreme fitness or dieting, sexual suggestiveness, sadness, or overgeneralized mental health advice. During moments of crisis or unrest, we may also interrupt repetitive recommendations to help ensure people continue to see a broad mix of content, creators, and perspectives—just as the FYF is designed to do. Learn more about our work to keep your experience safe, varied, and fun.

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Page 11 of 12: Community Guidelines — Accounts and Features

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/accounts-features

Accounts and Features

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

Accounts

You must be at least 13 years old to have a TikTok account, though some places have different age restrictions. In the U.S., kids under the minimum required age get a special TikTok experience with extra safety features, plus their own Privacy Policy. If we find that someone is too young to have an account, we will ban that account.

We’ll also take action if someone breaks our Community Guidelines. That can mean a warning, temporary feature or account restriction, or a full account ban, depending on what happened. In some cases, users may be given the opportunity to complete optional policy training to restore full access to the platform.

We may ban an account or user for:

If someone seriously breaks the rules or tries to dodge enforcement, we may ban all of their accounts, including associated accounts.

Severe violations include:

  • Inciting or threatening serious violence when there’s a credible risk of harm or danger to public safety
  • Engaging in child sexual abuse, including sharing, helping others access, or downloading CSAM, soliciting youth, or grooming
  • Sharing graphic imagery of adult sexual abuse, including non-consensual acts or image-based abuse
  • Coordinating or facilitating human trafficking or smuggling

We may also restrict or ban accounts belonging to people who have engaged in egregious off-platform behaviors, when we have sufficient evidence to support enforcement. When assessing these cases, we consider several factors, including the time since the act occurred, whether penalties have been served, efforts toward rehabilitation, and the potential impact on public interest discussion.

When we receive a credible report that a user is at risk of harm off-platform and that a third party may access their account without their permission, we may suspend or restrict access to the account to help protect the user and our community.

Sometimes, accounts that don’t break the rules still post a lot of content that’s ineligible for the FYF. In those cases, we may make the account and its content ineligible for the FYF and harder to find. Learn more about account enforcement here, and how to report an account here.

News and Government, Politician, and Political Party Accounts

News and Government, Politician, and Political Party accounts can play important roles in civic processes and civil society. Like everyone else, the content they post must follow our rules—but we may handle account enforcement for them a little differently, to support free expression and human rights.

If one of these accounts posts something that is a severe violation, we may ban the account. For repeated, but non-severe violations, we may:

Learn more about how we handle these types of accounts here.

More information

News Entities: Organizations mainly focused on sharing news to inform or educate. To qualify as a news account, the account must be legally licensed, certified or recognized by an intergovernmental organization, regulator, or reputable press organization.

Governments and Politicians: These include elected officials, candidates, government agencies, cabinet ministers, and official spokespeople. You can find details about who qualifies as a government, politician and political party account here.

Egregious off-platform behaviors include:

TikTok LIVE

LIVE creators must maintain a safe environment. If a LIVE session includes content that violates our policies, the session may be stopped, and the creator could face temporary restrictions from going LIVE. Repeated or serious violations, including attempts to bypass restrictions, may result in an account ban. You must be 18 and older to go LIVE and to send gifts to a creator during a LIVE session.

If a creator repeatedly shares content that falls short of our FYF standards, then we may apply temporary restrictions, such as restricting the visibility of LIVE sessions or the use of certain LIVE features. LIVE sessions are also restricted to 18 and older when they contain content or behavior that isn't suitable for young people.

Authenticity within LIVE is essential. Pretending to be someone else or streaming someone else’s content without permission may also lead to restrictions.

In multi-guest LIVE sessions, if a guest shares anything that breaks the rules, they’ll be removed from the session, and the creator may lose access to guest features temporarily. In severe situations, the room may be stopped. If a guest shares content that’s FYF ineligible, the LIVE will be removed from the FYF.

Lastly, LIVE creators are responsible for anything that happens during their sessions—even when it involves third-party tools like voice-to-text software, real-time translation, or on-screen comment displays. For example, if a voice-to-text tool reads out a harmful comment, the creator is still accountable for enabling that feature. Creators should actively monitor and manage any tools they use to help prevent violations. Repeated issues related to third-party tools may lead to restrictions on using LIVE or LIVE features.

Learn more about how to report a LIVE here.

LIVE Features and Monetization

LIVE is a monetizable feature through which you can earn rewards from TikTok. In addition to these Community Guidelines, in order to use LIVE to its full extent, you must comply with:

For further details on gifting and rewards, see our Virtual Items Policy and our Rewards Policy.

LIVE Commercial Content

To maintain transparency for our users, commercial content on LIVE must be disclosed using the commercial disclosure toggle. Learn more about our policy regarding Commercial Disclosure and Paid Advertising.

In order to ensure that users have a positive experience when engaging with commercial content on our platform, we reduce visibility of content directing users to purchase products off-platform in markets where TikTok Shop is available.

LIVE Gaming

LIVE Gaming follows the rules in the sections above, with the important differences listed below. Eligible TikTok creators can use TikTok’s LIVE Studio or third-party tools to share the device screen to showcase gameplay. We restrict mature game content that may not be suitable for young viewers.

More information

NOT ALLOWED (LIVE sessions)

AGE-RESTRICTED (LIVE gaming)

FYF INELIGIBLE (LIVE sessions)

Search

TikTok Search helps you discover content. In some situations—such as when there’s an elevated risk of harm to users or communities—we may limit visibility of certain search results.

In addition, some content that’s allowed on TikTok may not be suitable for all audiences, and might not appear as a top result.

Search results and recommendations may look different for everyone. That’s because we consider things like your past searches and what you’ve watched to help make results more relevant. We also try to highlight content from reliable sources at the top.

We recommend searches across TikTok to support discovery, learning, and exploration. To help ensure the experience remains safe and enjoyable, we prioritize entertaining and informative content in search recommendations, and don't recommend terms associated with harassment, sensationalism, or graphic and disturbing themes. If you see a search recommendation that you believe violates our Community Guidelines, report it to us here.

External Links

Creators often share links in their bios, profiles, or videos to help you find more content. While many of these links are useful or informative, some lead to harmful content that isn’t allowed on TikTok. If a link breaks our rules, we’ll remove it. We may also temporarily stop you from posting links—or, for severe violations, ban your account.

Comments

Comments let you connect with others, which is a big part of TikTok. If a comment breaks our rules, we’ll remove it. If someone keeps breaking the rules, we may limit or remove their ability to comment; in more severe cases, we may ban their account.

Comments are sorted based on multiple aspects, including your past replies, likes, and reports. This helps keep the comment section relevant and engaging, and it may look different from one person to the next. Comments may be sorted lower if they don’t add to the conversation, like:

Learn more about the tools you can use to control the comments on your own videos, and how to report a comment here.

Direct Messages

Direct messages (DMs) include private DMs and group chats. DMs let you share videos and chat with one or more people. Some businesses also use automated tools to reply to messages. You must be 16 and older to use DMs.

If you violate "Not Allowed" rules, your message will be removed and you might be temporarily blocked from sending new ones. Repeat or severe violations can result in an account ban. Learn more about how to report a direct message here.

Monetization

TikTok offers tools that enable creators to earn money and cash rewards, and help businesses grow. You must be 18 and older to use monetization features.

To be eligible, you need to meet entry criteria and follow feature-specific rules. This includes, but isn't limited to, LIVE gifting, TikTok Shop, the Creator Rewards Program, TikTok Series, TikTok Subscriptions, TikTok Location Services, and TikTok Ads. To retain access to LIVE rewards from TikTok, LIVE creators must also comply with the LIVE Monetization Guidelines. Creators participating in all monetization programs must follow the Creator Code of Conduct. If you break the rules, we may temporarily restrict your access. Repeated violations can lead to permanent loss of monetization features. Content that isn’t eligible for the FYF may also be restricted from monetization.

All commercial content must be disclosed using the content disclosure setting. This applies to content that promotes your brand or involves payment or perks from a third party. Branded content must also follow our Branded Content Policy, TikTok’s Ads Creative Policy, and Industry Entry Policy and—where relevant—TikTok Shop Policies.

If we find commercial content that hasn’t been properly disclosed, we may apply the content disclosure setting ourselves or remove it from the FYF. Repeated issues could lead to your account being temporarily restricted from posting content, or an account ban.

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Page 12 of 12: Community Guidelines — Enforcement

Source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/policies-and-engagement/enforcement

Enforcement

Community Guidelines

Released August 25, 2026

Effective September 24, 2026

Previous Versions: Here

Public Interest Exceptions

We recognize that some content that would otherwise violate our rules may be in the public interest to view. Public interest refers to topics that inform, inspire, or educate the community and enhance deliberation about matters of broad collective significance. We may allow content to remain on TikTok under public interest exceptions, including:

When reviewing content, we consider if the post raises awareness or challenges harmful behavior. If you want to post content that does this, you might consider using features like captions, stickers, or voiceover to make it clear.

Even if we allow content under a public interest exception, we might still:

We won’t make exceptions for content that could cause extreme harm, like showing explicit imagery of abuse involving a young person.

Detection and Reporting

We aim to remove content or accounts that violate our rules before they are viewed or shared. Content first goes through an automated review process. If content is identified as a potential violation, it will be automatically removed, or flagged for additional review by our moderators. Additional review will occur if content gains popularity or has been reported. To support moderation accuracy, we apply additional quality assurance processes to some accounts that have already gone through additional validation processes, such as verified accounts.

Even with our robust moderation measures and processes, we can’t guarantee that all content complies with our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. If you see something that seems to break the rules, you can report it in the app or on our website.

Learn more about our enforcement efforts through our Transparency Center.

Notice and Appeals

We believe in fairness and consistency. If your content breaks a rule, we seek to explain to you why it was removed. If your account is banned, you’ll see a message in the app. If your content is made ineligible for the FYF or otherwise restricted, this information will appear in the TikTok analytics tool.

If your account was banned, or your content was removed, made ineligible for the FYF, or otherwise restricted, and you believe this was an error, you may appeal the decision. Once your appeal is filed, you can view its status in the in-app Safety Center, as well as the status of any reports you have filed about other content or accounts.

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