TikTok is raising the age requirement for hosting livestreams on its platform, as well as launching adult-only livestreams, the company announced on Monday. Currently, you need to be 16 or older to host a livestream. Starting on November 23, users will have to be 18 years old in order to go live on the platform. TikTok says the change is part of its ongoing work to keep its community safe.
As for the adult-only livestreams, TikTok plans to roll those out in the coming weeks. The official roll out comes as the company began testing the ability to restrict livestreams to viewers who at 18 years old and above in July. It’s important to note that TikTok’s new 18+ restriction setting for livestreams isn’t a way for users to broadcast adult content, as the content is still subject to the app’s policies. Instead, it’s a way for creators to prevent minors from encountering content that’s aimed toward an adult audience or may be uninteresting to them.
“We plan to introduce a new way for creators to choose if they’d prefer to only reach an adult audience in their LIVE,” the company said in a blog post. “For instance, perhaps a comedy routine is better suited for people over age 18. Or, a host may plan to talk about a difficult life experience and they would feel more comfortable knowing the conversation is limited to adults.”
The new setting comes a few months after TikTok said itwanted to start identifying which content is appropriate for younger and older teens versus adults. TikTok has previously said it was developing a system to identify and restrict certain types of content from being accessed by teens and that it would start asking creators to specify when their content is more appropriate for an adult audience.
TikTok had said it wouldn’t go as far as having “displayable” ratings or labels on TikTok videos, which would allow people to see the age-appropriate nature of a given piece of content at a glance. Instead, it said it had planned to rely on categorization on the back end and would lean on having creators tag their own content in some way, hence the new adult-only livestreams.
In addition, TikTok is rolling out an updated version of its keyword filtering tool that will send a reminder to people and suggest new keywords they may want to consider adding to their filter list. Creators can currently already use the app’s keyword filtering tool to limit comments they feel aren’t appropriate, but this update will take this feature a step further.
“To do this, the tool looks at the content a creator most commonly removes from their LIVE, spotting similar words in these comments and then suggesting the host may want to add these words to their filter list,” TikTok explained in its blog post. “When we tested this feature, we found that it nearly doubled those using keyword filtering when looking at the most popular LIVE creators.”
TikTok is also rolling out a new feature called “Multi-Guest” that lets hosts go live with up to five other people using a grid or panel layout. The new feature can be used to host how-to videos, respond to questions or just share a moment together. Once the livestream begins, creators can tap the three dots to change a variety of settings, such as flipping the camera, adding effects and stickers, filtering comments and adding moderators.
FAQs
TikTok will increase the minimum age requirement for livestreaming from 16 to 18 beginning on Nov. 23, and it will soon allow users to target adult audiences with stream content. The changes are part of the social media giant's efforts to improve community safety.
Is TikTok getting an 18+ version? ›
The short-form version of the 18+ barrier is arriving on TikTok now and will be expanded to more users “over the coming weeks.” The app hopes this change will allow users to direct content to “the most appropriate audience.”
Why do I get age restricted on TikTok Live? ›
When we identify this type of content in a LIVE, we let viewers aged 13 to 17 know that we've restricted the content to help ensure they're only shown content that's most suitable or relevant to them. This allows us to add another layer of safety to protect younger audiences.
How do I take off the age restriction on TikTok? ›
To turn Restricted Mode on or off:
- In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
- Tap the Menu button at the top.
- Tap Settings and privacy.
- Tap Content preferences, then tap Restricted Mode.
- Follow the steps in the app to set or enter a passcode to turn Restricted Mode on or off.
You must be 16 years and older to use direct messages, and be 18 years and older to go LIVE, to send gifts to a creator during a LIVE session, or to use monetization features. You can learn more about TikTok's tools, controls, and educational content on our Youth Portal and in our Guardian's Guide.
How to make TikTok live 18+? ›
for when you stream for a mature audience. or, let's say, 18 and up audience. You simply hit live, you select not for a younger audience, and you're good.
Can a 13 year old go live on TikTok? ›
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. Only users age 16 and over can livestream and use direct messaging, and only users over 18 can buy, send, or receive virtual gifts.
Why is TikTok asking me to verify my age? ›
TikTok is prompting users to prove they're of age to use the app following an FTC settlement agreement that required the app to come into compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which dictates that apps and websites get parental approval for users under 13.
Is there an adult only TikTok? ›
TikTok has announced that it's expanding its audience controls feature, giving creators the ability to restrict their videos to adult viewers. Prior to this expansion, the adult-only audience controls feature was only available for TikTok Live. Now the company is bringing the feature to its short-form videos as well.
How to go live on TikTok under 16? ›
Requirements for going Live on TikTok.
First, you must be at least 16 years of age — this is determined by your birthdate when you initially create your TikTok profile — and second, you'll need to have at least 1,000 followers to unlock the capability to go Live.
TikTok is available for people aged 13 years and older (or other ages in certain regions as indicated in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service).
How long does TikTok live age verification take? ›
Hey, guys. So, as you guys know, I was gonna go live at 5 p m, and soon as I press the button to go live, this pop up that I have to verify my age. So I submitted to documents, but I thought that was gonna be, like, an instant thing, but apparently I did some research, and it can take up to 30 days.
How long is a TikTok live suspension? ›
Most TikTok LIVE bans are temporary, lasting between one day and two weeks. If you've received a temporary ban, you can see how many days you have left in the 'Livestream Restrictions' section.
