Reporting A TikTok Video: How To Do It

Almost all social media platforms have systems in place to moderate content and remove posts that are offensive or against their guidelines. Unfortunately, almost all platforms have become so big that it takes more than just internal systems to handle the job.

TikTok has algorithms and filters that catch some major violations — but they can’t do the job by themselves. The app depends on TikTok users to report videos and other material that they think should be removed.

TikTok’s terms and conditions and Community Guidelines prohibit users from posting a wide range of problematic content. This is just a sample:

• Nudity and sexual activity
• Promoting or glorifying non-consensual sexual activity or solicitation
• Promoting hateful ideologies
• Verbal attacks, bullying, and threats of physical abuse or violence
• Promoting or inciting violence, criminal activity, or terrorism
• Posting excessively shocking or gruesome content
• Posting content that glorifies suffering or violence
• Posting content that glorifies or promotes self-harm or suicide

Those are sensible restrictions. To be honest, most users using common sense should intuitively know whether posts violate TikTok’s rules and deserve to be reported to the app for moderation and removal.

Here’s how to do it.

How to Report a TikTok Video

You can use these same basic steps to report any other offensive TikTok content you see or hear, like comments or post descriptions.

1. When you find a TikTok post that you believe violates the platform’s rules, tap on the “Share” icon (a sweeping right arrow) on the right-hand side of the screen.
2. A popup window will appear; look for and click the “Report” icon (a flag) in the bottom row.
3. You’ll see a new window with a list of possible reasons the video should be taken down; choose the one that comes closest to describing the issue you see (you may also have to choose a sub-topic) and provide any necessary details. If you don’t see a reason that fits, choose “Other” and describe the problem.
4. Tap “Submit.”

After a moderator reviews your report, you’ll be notified of the result in your TikTok notifications; the content may be removed and the account may be penalized. If you want to report an entire TikTok account, tap “Share” and then “Report” on the account’s profile page. To report a sound, tap on the sound description at the bottom of the post and then hit “Share” and “Report.”

Remember, though, that being personally offended by TikTok content doesn’t necessarily mean that the video is violating the app’s rules; there are many viewpoints and opinions expressed on the platform. If the post is clearly problematic, it should be reported. Otherwise, it’s easiest and smartest to just block the creator and move on.