TikTok has age restrictions to protect people who are not old enough to fully understand the possible consequences of certain actions or decisions. Additionally, you must comply with laws such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
However, TikTok’s restricted mode can be an annoyance for some users as it can restrict videos that shouldn’t be restricted. In this article, we will explain how to disable the age restriction feature.
How to disable the age restriction on TikTok
There are a few reasons why you may want to turn off the age restriction on TikTok:
- Access to more content: Without the age restriction enabled, users will have access to a greater variety of content on the platform.
- More freedom of expression: Disabling the age restriction allows users to express themselves freely and share their content with a wider audience.
- Better engagement: With no age restriction, users will be able to interact with a more perse range of users, resulting in more likes, comments, and followers.
- Educational Purpose: Teachers and students may want to use TikTok as a learning tool and require access to all available content.
Fortunately, turning off the age restriction is not that complicated. You can follow the steps below:
- Open the TikTok app on your device.
- Tap “Profile” at the bottom to navigate to your profile page.
- Go to the menu by tapping the hamburger button at the top right of the page.
- Choose “Settings and privacy.”
- Look for the “Content & Activity” option. Choose “Digital Wellbeing.”
- Tap “Restricted Mode.”
- You will need to enter or set a passcode to disable (or enable) restricted mode.
Note: You can only find this feature in the TikTok app as it is not available on a desktop or mobile browser.
How to use keyword filters on TikTok
TikTok comes with keyword filters that allow users to automatically exclude videos that contain terms or hashtags they don’t want to see in their “For You” and “Following” feeds. Filters help users discover content that is relevant to their interests and easily find specific types of videos on the platform.
Here’s how to filter keywords:
- Sign in to your TikTok account.
- At the bottom of the screen, tap “Profile.”
- Press the menu icon (hamburger button) at the top right of the profile page.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Go to “Content Preferences” and then select “Filter Video Keywords.”
- Press “Add Keywords” and type the words or hashtags you want to filter.
- Decide which feeds to filter from.
- Choose “Save” to confirm.
Note: Allows up to 100 keywords.
To filter hashtags directly from a video, you can follow the steps below:
- Open the TikTok app.
- Go to your feed.
- Long-press on a video or press the “Share” button and select “Not interested.”
- Tap “Details” to display hashtags in the video.
- Choose the hashtags you want to filter.
- Press “Submit” to confirm.
Note: This feature does not work in the app.
In case you need to edit or delete the keywords, the instructions below will help you:
- Sign in to your TikTok account.
- Press the “Profile” icon at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the menu icon (hamburger button) at the top right.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Go to “Content Preferences” and then choose “Filter Video Keywords.”
- Tap the “Delete” button next to the keyword you want to delete.
- Press “Delete” to confirm.
How to activate family pairing on TikTok
TikTok has a parental control feature called Family Pairing. Allows parents to link their TikTok account to their child’s account and set up the following parental controls:
- Daily Screen Time: You can set a daily limit on how much time your child can spend on TikTok.
- Restricted Mode: You can prevent your child from accessing videos that are inappropriate or inappropriate for them.
- Search: Allows you to restrict your child’s search for videos and hashtags.
- Discoverability: Decide if your child’s account is public or private.
- Suggest account to others: You can choose whether or not to recommend your child’s account to others.
- Direct messages: You can turn off direct messages entirely or restrict other users from sending messages to your child. Note: DM is automatically disabled for users between 13 and 15 years old. It is only available to users who are at least 16 years old.
- Liked Videos: Choose who can access your children’s favorite videos.
- Comments: You can restrict access to the comments p of your child’s account
To start setting up family pairing, follow the steps below:
- Open the TikTok app on your device.
- Navigate to your profile by pressing “Profile” at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the hamburger button at the top right of the page.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Choose “Family Pairing.”
- Tap “Parent” or “Teen.”
- Follow the instructions to link accounts.
Here’s how to manage family pairing:
- Sign in to your TikTok account.
- Go to your profile by tapping “Profile” at the bottom.
- Press the hamburger button at the top right to access the menu.
- Choose “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap “Family Pairing.”
- Choose the account to manage.
How to turn activity status on and off on TikTok
TikTok’s activity status is a mixed blessing for some users and a privacy nightmare for others. Turning on your activity status on TikTok can help you stay connected with your friends and followers by showing them when you’re online. It can also increase your engagement on the platform, as your followers are more likely to interact with you when they know you’re active.
On the other hand, turning off your activity status on TikTok can help you maintain your privacy and control who knows you when you’re online. Whatever group you belong to, TikTok gives you the option to customize your activity status.
Follow the instructions below to turn your activity status on or off on TikTok:
- Open the TikTok app and sign in to your account.
- Tap “Profile” to go to your profile page.
- Press menu (the hamburger button) at the top right of the page.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Press “Privacy.”
- Turn “Activity Status” on or off.
Frequent questions
Why does TikTok need to verify user age?
TikTok requires users to show their age in order to use the app, in response to an FTC settlement that forced the app to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
Does TikTok ban underage users?
TikTok can ban an account if it believes the user is under 13 years old (or 14 years old in South Korea and Indonesia). Fortunately, the banned user can file an appeal if a mistake was made.
Manage your feeds wisely
While turning off the age restriction allows you to view a wider variety of content, having the ability to select information is a must. Excessive exposure to information can be overwhelming and lead to overload, which can negatively impact cognitive functioning and decision-making ability.
This is where keyword and hashtag filters come in handy. Filters help optimize information by excluding irrelevant keywords from the list, so you have the most relevant and useful content in your feeds.
Are keyword filters working well for you? What do you think TikTok should improve more on? Tell us in the comments p below.
