Officially, you must be 13 years old to use TikTok. However, to download the app on the Apple and Google Play stores, the age limit is set at 12, which can lead to confusion.
Age restrictions
TikTok requires its users to be at least 13 years old.
1 ENABLE device-level parental controls
TikTok states that the app is intended for users aged 13 years and over and has a 12+ App Store rating.
TikTok account restrictions by age:
Under 13: Users under 13 can watch videos but can't search for or comment on them. They can't post their own videos either or have followers. And their data isn't collected. 13 to 15: Users 13 to 15 years old have accounts that are private by default.
According to the terms of use, the minimum age for European users is 16 (as of March 2023).
The age requirements are there because of data protection laws. Online services are not allowed to collect or store children's personal information if they are under the age of 13. Data protection laws also say that only children aged 13 and over can sign up to online services without parental permission.
The platform is rated 13+. How does Snapchat work? The platform mainly operates as a messaging app where users can communicate with each other using videos and images. However, there are also other features available including private chat, games, and voice notes.
TikTok has different rules for different ages: Users under age 13 can't post videos or comment, and content is curated for a younger audience. For kids age 13 to 15, accounts are private by default. Only friends can comment on videos, and other users can't duet (explained below) with your videos.
Jean Twenge, our nation's leading researcher on how social media impacts child and adolescent development, recommends that no child under 13 should be on any social media, including TikTok. And I would add that many 13-year-olds aren't ready. TikTok offers a curated version of their app for under-13s. Don't use it.
Your rights. Contact us. TikTok may ban your account if we believe you're under 13 years old (or 14 in South Korea and Indonesia). If you believe we made a mistake, you may submit an appeal.
A user has be 13 years old to use the platform, some content will remain restricted until you turn 18. However, over the past year, some users above the age of 18 have reported instances of TikTok limiting their access to certain posts, showing the error message “Post unavailable: This post is age-protected.”
Snapchat is restricted to users over the age of 13. If children under the age of 13 sign up for an account they are given access to 'SnapKidz' which is a limited version of Snapchat that doesn't allow images to be sent to other devices.
Social media app TikTok has been banned on government electronic devices, the Cabinet Office has announced today.
If your age was entered incorrectly in the TikTok app and you wish to correct it without making a new account, you can email TikTok at [email protected] to request a change or contact the platform's customer support team through the app's Support section, as detailed below.
Who are the UK's highest-earning TikTok content creators? Known for his fun lip-syncs and quirky food-tasting videos, Kyle Thomas is the most followed content creator in the UK with more than 32 million followers. The 18-year-old has also secured over a whopping 1.5 billion likes on TikTok.
You have to enter your birth date to set up an account, but there's no age verification, so it's easy for kids under 13 to sign up. Common Sense Media rates Snapchat OK for teens 16 and up, mainly because of the exposure to age-inappropriate content and the marketing ploys, such as quizzes, that collect data.
“Ten to 12 is a great range because kids are still very connected to their parents and into their parents being in their phone and in their business,” says Catherine Pearlman, a licensed clinical social worker and author of “First Phone,” a guide for kids.
The app is letting users restrict their videos so only viewers only the age of 18 can watch. In a blog post, TikTok announced an expansion of its Content Levels, which group the app's users by age and restrict the content seen by younger groups.
Zigazoo, the startup known for its TikTok-style video-sharing app for kids, is launching a separate app targeted at Gen Z users.
Parents can learn to trust that their kids are using TikTok under the conditions they've agreed upon, and kids can learn responsibility when it comes to social media privileges. Using TikTok can also create teachable moments and foster conversations about important topics that may not come up organically otherwise.
Snapchat this weekend introduced SnapKidz, a simplified version of the photo messaging app that doesn't let users send out pictures. The Los Angeles-based messaging service said users younger than 13 can now use Snapchat to take photos and edit them with the captions and drawings that have made the app so popular.
In the United States, the most popular age group on Snapchat is those ages 15-25, as they make up 48% of users. Those ages 26-35 make up 30% of users, ages 36-45 are 18%, ages 46-55 are 11%, and those 56 and older make up just 5% of the platform.
How old should kids be to use Instagram? According to the terms of service, you have to be 13, but there's no age-verification process, so it's very easy for kids under 13 to sign up. Common Sense rates Instagram for age 15 and up because of mature content, access to strangers, marketing ploys, and data collection.