The 3 Reasons Why Your TikTok Account Might Be Private 

You’re having a problem. You can’t figure out why only a few people see and engage with your TikTok posts. Even stranger, you know every one of those people because they’re already among your TikTok followers.

And when you finally figure it out, you realize that your account is set to private.

When you have a private TikTok account, only your existing fans can view your videos and TikTok Live shows, and they’re the only ones who can see your full TikTok profile or DM with you. No one can become one of your followers unless you approve their request, you’re not shown adult-oriented content, and no TikTok user, even a follower, can download your content.

That would dramatically limit your visibility and popularity on the social media platform, needless to say.

When adults sign up for the app, their accounts are set to public by default — so how did you end up with a private account? There are only three explanations.

1. You’re Under 18

TikTok and most other social media apps take special pains to protect minors from harassment, bullying, and exposure to videos with mature themes. One would hope that’s because it’s the right thing to do, but it’s also to protect the company against potential legal problems.

One of the most important ways they do it involves TikTok account settings.

• Users between the ages of 13 and 15 are always given private accounts. (Those under 13 can’t sign up for a standard TikTok account, only one designed for pre-teens and children.) All of the restrictions we mentioned earlier are in place, including limited exposure of their videos (only their TikTok followers can see their posts) and the inability to watch adult-oriented content.
• Users who are 16 or 17 also receive private accounts, but there’s one big difference. They’re allowed to go into their TikTok settings and change their TikTok presence from “private” to “public.” Those making the change will still have some age-based restrictions (including not being able to view mature videos), but in most ways, their TikTok presence will be no different than that of adult users.

In short, if you’re under 16, you’ll always have a private account and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you’re under 18, you’ll have a private account unless you’ve manually switched to a public one; you may still be “private” because you didn’t know you had to make the change.

2. Either You or TikTok Screwed Up

When you join TikTok, you’re asked for your birthdate.

Your account settings are based on the date you supply, so if you mistakenly entered 2012 instead of 2002 as your birth year, the system will think that you’re underage and only entitled to a private account. If you’ve made that mistake, you have to contact TikTok support and provide proof of your age before a support rep can let you change your account to a public one.

There could also be a system glitch that’s preventing you from having a public account (or changing it from private to public when you turn 16). Only a support request can resolve that issue.

3. You Don’t Remember Changing to a Private Account

There are dozens of user settings in the TikTok app, and it’s easy to change one of them when you don’t mean to. You might have accidentally changed your account to a private one, or you may have done it so long ago that you don’t remember taking the action.

Those could both explain why you have a private TikTok account. No worries; changing back to a public one is easy.

Visit your TikTok profile and tap the “Menu” icon (three horizontal lines) at the top right. Choose “Settings and privacy” from the popup window, and then tap on “Privacy.” The control you’re looking for is at the top of the next screen; just move the toggle switch next to “Private account” to the left, and if you’re over 16, your account will immediately become a public one.

Enjoy your added visibility and app functions!