TikTok is a popular social media site known for having a lot of different kinds of content. To protect its young users from potentially inappropriate content, the site puts age restrictions in place. A big “This Post Is Age-Protected” message tells viewers that they need to get help from a parent or verify their identity when they see a video that isn’t appropriate for kids. In this guide we showed how to Fix ‘This Post Is Age-Protected’ Message on TikTok.
But this method has been criticized because it isn’t always used the same way and there could be holes in it, letting some content through while harmless content gets flagged. To address these concerns, TikTok could improve the ways it checks users’ ages and makes sure they follow content guidelines more strictly. Also, making the algorithm that decides what content is age-restricted better could make it more accurate and consistent.
Giving users clearer explanations of why some videos are age-restricted might also help them understand and follow the rules. TikTok wants to find a good balance between keeping its young users safe and letting them have creative freedom and access to a wide range of content by improving the way it protects users’ ages.
Fix: ‘This Post Is Age-Protected’ Message on TikTok
- Start up TikTok.
- Click on your name.
- In the upper right corner, click the three lines.
- Then, select “Settings and privacy.”
- Click on “Digital wellbeing” when you get to the bottom of the page.
- You can turn it off by going to “Restricted mode.”
Reasons for the ‘This Post Is Age-Protected’ Notification
Age Restrictions:
- Video content: The video itself contains content deemed unsuitable for users under 18, such as violence, explicit language, or mature themes. TikTok uses algorithms and moderation to categorize videos based on their content.
- Your age: If you’re under 18 on TikTok, you’ll be restricted from viewing age-protected content regardless of its nature.
Restricted Mode:
- Enabled: This feature filters out potentially sensitive content for all users, regardless of age. If you have Restricted Mode turned on, you might see the age-protection message even for videos suitable for your age group.
- Incorrect age: If you accidentally entered the wrong birthdate when creating your account, TikTok might categorize you in the wrong age group, leading to the age-protection message.
Tips for Users Dealing with the ‘This Post Is Age-Protected’ Message
Check Restricted Mode:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile.
- Tap the three lines in the top right corner and select “Settings and privacy.”
- Scroll down to “Digital wellbeing” and tap it.
- Check if “Restricted Mode” is turned on. If it is, turn it off by entering your passcode.
Verify your age (if applicable):
- If you’re over 18 but entered the wrong birthday, you may need to contact TikTok support.
- Go to the TikTok Help Center and search for “How to change your birthday on TikTok.”
- Follow the steps to contact support and provide proof of your age (e.g., government ID).
Other troubleshooting:
- Log out and log back into your account.
- Clear the TikTok app cache from your phone settings.
- Reinstall the TikTok app.
Impact of Age Restrictions on TikTok Content Creation
Possible Advantages:
- More safety for younger users: Age limits are meant to keep younger users away from content that could be harmful, like violent content, swearing, or mature humour. This could make their time online safer and more under control.
- Better user experience: Age restrictions can make the overall user experience better for all age groups by removing inappropriate content, making it more fun and fitting their tastes.
- Platform compliance: Putting age limits on videos helps sites like TikTok follow the law and follow different rules about keeping kids and other vulnerable users safe online.
Possible Problems:
- Age limits might stop creators from talking about or making fun of certain topics or types of humour that are covered by these limits, which could affect their artistic freedom and the range of content they make.
- Reach and engagement may go down: content marked as “age-restricted” may only reach a more specific group of people, which could affect creators’ reach, engagement, and, in the end, their income.
- Subjectivity and bad judgement: Putting age limits in place usually involves both automated systems and human moderators who could make bad decisions about the content, which could unfairly limit creators or accidentally show inappropriate content to younger users.
FAQs
However, you can now only change your username on TikTok. You can no longer change your age within the app. If you sign up with the wrong birth date, you can change it by calling customer service. Tap Profile in the bottom right corner, then tap the three-line icon in the upper right corner.
The minimum age for a TikTok user is 13 years old. While this is great news for younger users, it’s important to note that TikTok doesn’t use any age verification tools when new users sign up.
That’s why TikTok introduced a new privacy policy, where altering your age was no longer an option. So, the social media platform removed the feature to change your birth date. If you somehow typed a wrong birthday, you have to contact customer support on TikTok and send them a request to change it.
