How To Report A TikTok Account

TikTok has a set of Community Guidelines designed to prohibit actions and content that promote violence, hate speech, discrimination, harassment, bullying, criminal activity, nudity and sexual activity, spam, copyright violations, impersonating another account, and several other types of activities.

The comprehensive guidelines are, of course, designed to promote TikTok user safety and establish a respectful climate on the social media platform.

However, no social app with several billion users and a million hourly video uploads can stay on top of all potential violations. There’s way too much activity for TikTok to enforce all of its rules in real time.

That essentially leaves it up to other users to help by reporting posts and users for any offensive or illegal content and behavior on the platform. Here’s how to do it.

Reporting an Account to TikTok

Naturally, someone isn’t automatically penalized or banned from TikTok once a report is filed with the app’s moderators. They must review the user’s content, actions, past history, and any other pending reports before deciding whether a penalty or account ban is appropriate.

Someone has to get the ball rolling, though, and the process starts with making an official report that includes all pertinent details. Be aware that this only reports a user’s account; we’ll discuss reporting a video shortly.

1. Go to the offending user’s TikTok profile and tap the Share icon (the curved right arrow) at the top right of the screen. (If you’re currently viewing an offending post, access their profile by clicking the white circle above the red plus sign.)
2. Tap the “Report” icon (a flag) at the bottom of the pop-up window that opens.
3. Select “Report account,” choose the reason you think the user is violating TikTok’s Community Guidelines, and supply as many details as possible.

You won’t be notified if the complaint is successful, but if it is, you’ll see the user’s account disappear temporarily or permanently depending on TikTok’s decision.

One exception to this procedure: if you want to report someone impersonating another user’s TikTok account, you have to use a browser and visit tiktok.com/legal/report/submit-requests (if the offending account is in the US) or tiktok.com/legal/report/feedback (if the account is located elsewhere).

Reporting a Video to TikTok

There are different steps to take if you want to notify the moderators about content that violates TikTok’s rules.

• To report a single video or a TikTok Live session, hit the “Share” icon on the screen and then tap the “Report” button. There will be instructions on-screen on what to do from there.
• To report an inappropriate message, tap the “Menu” icon (three horizontal dots) at the top right of the message and then choose “Report.”
• To report an offensive comment, long-press it and hit “Report.”

Whichever type of report you’ve submitted, remember that you can always just block the user whose actions or posts are causing a problem. Visit their TikTok profile, tap the “Share” arrow, click the “Block” icon on the pop-up screen, and confirm your block. If you have second thoughts later on, it’s easy to remove the block and move on.

Reporting a TikTok account can seem like a pain, but it may not only speedily solve your problem. It can help make everyone else’s experience on the app more enjoyable as well — and their reports will do the same for you.