How To Turn Off Age Restrictions On TikTok

Age restrictions have been a fact of life on social media platforms for decades, ever since the passage of the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in 1998.

The law basically bans websites and services from collecting personal information from users under the age of 13 without parental consent. In response, social apps just set the minimum age for opening an account to 13.

Over time, new policies that restricted access to “mature” content and some other features were added by most platforms — including TikTok. For instance, you won’t be able to see some videos, start a Live session (or give gifts in Live streams), see the Following feed, download videos, DM users, or create Duets and Stitches. You may also have a screen time limit.

Since you have to provide your birthdate when you sign up for a TikTok account, your age is immediately hardcoded into the system. You can’t go to your TikTok profile and change your “TikTok age” the way you can change your username or other information. That means the app’s age restrictions can be difficult to bypass.

If you have a good reason why those restrictions should be lifted, though, there are a few ways to do it.

Why Would You Need to Turn Off TikTok Age Restrictions?

Most people would agree that the platform’s blocks and restrictions make sense, at least in principle. However, with countless servers and algorithms governing the activity of more than two billion TikTok users, mistakes can be made. Users can make mistakes, too.

Some of the reasons why you might need age restrictions removed from your account:

• The system mistakenly turned on the restrictions even if you’re an adult, or switched you to restricted mode if you violated Community Guidelines in the past.
• You may have accidentally typed the wrong birthdate when you signed up for TikTok. If you mistakenly entered a birth year of 2010 instead of 2000, for example, you’ll face blocks on “mature” content until you’re 28 years old.
• By default, users who are between the ages of 13 and 15 automatically have their accounts set to “private” and face essentially the same limits as older TikTok users who are in restricted mode. Removing restrictions sets the account to “public.”
• You voluntarily turned on age restrictions (perhaps a teen was also using your phone), but no longer need those restrictions in place.

In most of those cases, it’s easy to remove the restrictions.

Turning Off TikTok Age Restrictions

If you aren’t prevented by your age (or the age the system has registered for you), here’s how to switch off the limits on your account.

1. Open the app, and switch to your profile page by clicking the icon at the bottom right of your home screen.
2. Tap the menu icon at the top right (three horizontal bars).
3. Select “Settings and privacy” and then tap “Content preferences.”
4. You’ll see “Restricted Mode” on that menu. If it’s set to “On,” just toggle the control to “Off” and tap “Next.” You may be asked for a four-digit passcode to make this change; if you’ve never set one up or have forgotten it, tap “Forgot passcode?” and you’ll be able to reset it through email or text.

If you’re between the ages of 13 and 18, you may have to have your parent or guardian change some of your account’s restrictions through the Family Pairing feature on the app.

What If That Doesn’t Work?

If you’re an adult but still unable to turn off age restrictions because the system thinks you’re underage, you’ll have to contact TikTok support to solve the problem.

Take a deep breath, and navigate to Profile > Menu > Settings and privacy > Report a problem > Account and profile > Editing profile > Other > Need more help. That will bring up a message screen where you can explain the problem (i.e. you entered the wrong birth year when you joined). Attach a photo of your legal ID showing your name and birthdate, and hit “Submit.”

You should hear back through your TikTok inbox within a few days.

And if all else fails, you can always set up a new TikTok account with the correct birthdate. Just be warned: if you’re under 18 and open a new account simply to bypass age restrictions — and you’re found to have done it — you’ll be banned permanently from the app.