Teen Safety and Wellbeing

Last updated: January 2025

Principle

We are deeply committed to TikTok being a safe and positive experience for people under the age of 18. We refer to them as "teens". Users must be at least 13 years of age to have an account. However, additional age limitations may apply based on local laws in some regions.


Ads and landing pages must be safe and respectful for teens, and advertisers must comply with all applicable child safety laws, rules, and regulations that apply to the targeted markets. Advertisers must also comply with our Ad Policies and targeting requirements: Protecting minors on TikTok: advertising initiatives and About advertising to people under the age of 18. These policies govern the protection of teens from illegal and harmful content, including content which may put them at risk of sexual, physical, or psychological harm.


Advertisers must also comply with our Community Guidelines, which apply to everyone and to all content on the platform. The guidelines include rules for what is allowed on TikTok, as well as standards for what is eligible for the For You Feed (FYF).


We are committed to providing a safer experience for teens and keeping up with changing times and regulations. Therefore, our Ad Policies and Community Guidelines are updated on an ongoing basis.


Minor abuse

Policy

Ads and landing pages (LPs) must not feature minors, defined as people under the age of 18, in content that may put them at risk of sexual, physical, or emotional harm.


Sexual abuse

Policy

Minor sexual abuse material, with either real or non-real minors, such as animated content or artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC), is not allowed.


We will report incidents of minor sexual abuse and exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).


Physical and emotional abuse

Policy

Do not feature content showing physical abuse of minors.


Examples of what is not allowed:

  • Hitting, slapping, punching, or kicking

  • Shaking

  • Throwing

  • Scalding or burning

  • Breaking bones

Do not feature content showing emotional abuse of minors. Such content involves harmful behaviour that can cause mental distress, and can involve both verbal and non-verbal abuse, which can scare, humiliate, and isolate a person.


Examples of what is not allowed:

  • Threatening behavior

  • Humiliation or ridiculing

  • Provoking fear of violence

  • Controlling

  • Intimidation

  • Coercion

  • Bullying


Minor abuse depicted in fictional content

Policy

Fictional content, such as trailers for movies or TV shows, that references minor abuse stories may be allowed, but must be executed with a duty of care by advertisers.


Examples of what may be allowed:

  • Content that is not gratuitous, distressful, or offensive to victims of child abuse and their family

Examples of what is not allowed:

  • AIGC depictions of minors


Minor skin exposure

Policy

Inappropriate skin exposure of both real and non-real minors, such as animated content or artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC), that might subject them to sexual harm or objectify them is not allowed. However, depending on the context, some skin exposure may be allowed.


Examples of what might be allowed:

Minors in swimsuits if the ad is for swimwear, swimming lessons, or water theme parks

  • Traditional and historical artwork* *This may not be allowed in the following markets: Algeria, Bahrain , Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

  • Product demonstration for products such as nappies

Examples of what is not allowed:

  • Fully or partially exposed sensitive body parts of minors

  • Only covering a minor's sensitive body part while other body parts are exposed, such as only wearing underwear

  • Accentuation of sensitive body parts


Illegal behavior

Policy

Do not feature content that shows minors engaging in illegal activities.


Examples of what is not allowed:

  • Drinking alcohol

  • Gambling

  • Smoking tobacco or e-cigarettes


Inappropriate behavior

Policy

Do not feature content that shows minors engaging in activities that are dangerous, inappropriate, or unethical for their age.


Examples of what might be allowed:

  • Trailers for video games, movies, and TV shows*

  • Government or NGO awareness campaigns, assessed on a case by case basis*

*Age targeting requirements may apply


Examples of what is not allowed:

  • Skipping school

  • Plagiarising homework


Exploitation of teens' credulity, loyalty, and vulnerability

Policy

Do not exploit teens' credulity, loyalty, vulnerability, or lack of experience.


Examples of what is not allowed:

  • Urging or pressuring teens to make a purchase

  • Encouraging teens to persuade parents or guardians to purchase a product for them

  • Implying teens will gain popularity by owning the promoted product

Ads promoting products that may appeal to young children under the age of 13, including those with broad appeal, might be allowed if the following requirements are met*:

  • The ad must be restricted to audiences 18 years of age and older

  • Do not use particularly childish creative approaches

*Applicable to:

  • Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay