Explicit content controls · TikTok

Checked August 18, 2026

TikTok Restricted Mode, and the passcode that keeps it on

In the TikTok app go to Settings and privacy, then Content preferences, then Restricted Mode, and set a passcode. TikTok's automated systems and moderators decide what Restricted Mode hides, so suggestive clips they miss still play. The passcode is the only lock, unless a parent holds the setting through Family Pairing.

Filters classified contentRestricted Mode

A platform-side model decides what counts. Misses are common on suggestive content, and the model changes without notice.

The honest line

Restricted Mode hides what TikTok's classifier and moderators mark as mature or complex; suggestive clips they miss still play, and the passcode is the only thing that stops a quick switch-off.

Who can lock it: The Restricted Mode passcode is the lock; whoever holds it can turn it off. Family Pairing lets a parent hold that setting for a teen, and the teen cannot reduce it.

Availability: TikTok's help documents Restricted Mode, keyword filters and Family Pairing in the TikTok app only. It gives no path for tiktok.com on the web. If you have multiple accounts, each account needs its own Restricted Mode.

On this page
Start hereFilters classified content

Restricted Mode

TikTok: "Restricted Mode on TikTok limits exposure to content that may not be comfortable for everyone, such as content that contains mature or complex themes." TikTok uses "automated systems and human moderation to decide what content is included in Restricted Mode." It also switches off the Following feed, going LIVE and gifting on LIVE.

A platform-side model decides what counts. Misses are common on suggestive content, and the model changes without notice.

TikTok app (iPhone and Android)

  1. In the TikTok app, tap "Profile" at the bottom.

  2. Tap the Menu button at the top, then select "Settings and privacy".

  3. Tap "Content preferences".

  4. Tap "Restricted Mode". Official TikTok destination (opens in a new tab)

  5. Follow the steps in the app to set or enter a passcode, then turn Restricted Mode on.

    TikTok: "If this is your first time turning on Restricted Mode, you'll need to tap Turn on before you can set a passcode."

  6. Repeat for every TikTok account you use.

    TikTok: "If you have multiple accounts, you must turn Restricted Mode on for each account separately."

What it covers

  • Content TikTok's systems or moderators decide "may not be comfortable for some audiences"
  • TikTok's list of themes you "shouldn't see": profanity, sexually suggestive content, realistic violence or threatening imagery, weapons in the wrong setting, drugs, and explicit references to mature themes

What it does not cover

  • A classifier and moderators decide what counts; TikTok itself says it is "always working on improving this feature" and asks you to report what slips through
  • Per account: another account, or a new one on the same phone, starts with Restricted Mode off
  • It only guards the toggle inside TikTok; someone with the passcode turns it off in seconds
  • It also removes the Following feed, going LIVE and gifting on LIVE, so it is easy to feel the pull to switch it off
Also usefulBlocks accounts or communities you name

Filter keywords and Not interested

Content preferences also lets you name words and hashtags to remove from your For You and Following feeds (up to 100, with a Smart filter for variations), and mark posts "Not interested". Only what you name, or what TikTok reads as similar, is caught.

Works only for what you name. Nothing new is caught until you name it too.

TikTok app: Filter keywords

  1. In the TikTok app, tap "Profile" at the bottom.

  2. Tap the Menu button at the top, then select "Settings and privacy".

  3. Tap "Content preferences", then tap "Filter keywords". Official TikTok destination (opens in a new tab)

  4. Tap "Add keyword", enter a word or hashtag, and select the feed(s) to filter it from. You can add up to 100 keywords.

  5. Tap "Save". After adding a keyword you can turn on the "Smart filter" setting to filter similar keywords and variations.

    TikTok: "not all filtered keyword variations are listed and certain keywords can't be filtered."

TikTok app: Not interested on a post

  1. Press and hold the post, then tap "Not interested". You can also tap the Share button on the side, then tap "Not interested".

  2. Tap "Details" at the bottom and pick the option you prefer below Not interested.

  3. Tap "Details" again to see the post's hashtags, select the ones to filter, then tap "Submit".

What it covers

  • Posts whose captions or hashtags contain words you named, in the feeds you chose
  • Posts like the ones you marked Not interested, as a signal to the recommendation system

What it does not cover

  • Nothing you did not name is caught; a clip with no matching word or hashtag passes
  • TikTok says certain keywords cannot be filtered and not all variations are listed
  • Depending on where you signed up, TikTok says you may not have access to filter keywords in some feeds
  • Not interested is a nudge to the algorithm, not a block
The lockLockable by another person or a network

Restricted Mode passcode

Restricted Mode cannot be turned off without the passcode you set when you turned it on. That makes the passcode the lock. If you want it to hold, do not be the one who knows it.

A passcode, a supervisor, or DNS keeps the setting from being switched back off in a weak moment.

TikTok app (iPhone and Android)

  1. Go to "Settings and privacy", then "Content preferences", then "Restricted Mode". Official TikTok destination (opens in a new tab)

  2. Tap "Turn on", then follow the steps in the app to set a passcode.

  3. Ask your ally to type the passcode and keep it, so turning Restricted Mode off means asking them.

    TikTok's help says only that you "set or enter a passcode" to turn Restricted Mode on or off; it does not describe a recovery path, so treat the passcode as the key.

What it covers

  • The Restricted Mode switch on this one account

What it does not cover

  • Whoever knows the passcode can switch it off, including you if you set it
  • It gates one account only; a new or second account has no passcode and no Restricted Mode
  • It does nothing outside TikTok
Also usefulLockable by another person or a network

Family Pairing (household path)

TikTok: "Family Pairing on TikTok allows parents, guardians, and teens to customize their safety settings based on individual needs." "Teens can always increase their own restrictions, but can't reduce those set by you." A parent can turn on Restricted Mode and set keyword filters for the teen's account.

A passcode, a supervisor, or DNS keeps the setting from being switched back off in a weak moment.

TikTok app (both phones)

  1. In the TikTok app, tap "Profile" at the bottom, then the Menu button, then "Settings and privacy".

  2. Tap "Family Pairing", then tap "Continue". Official TikTok destination (opens in a new tab)

  3. Tap "Parent" or "Teen", then tap "Next", and follow the steps to link the accounts.

  4. To manage: "Settings and privacy", "Family Pairing", select the account, then update "Restricted Mode" and "Filter keywords".

    TikTok: "Restrict your teen's exposure to content that may not be appropriate or comfortable for them."

What it covers

  • Restricted Mode, keyword filters, search, screen time and other settings on the linked teen account, held from the parent's account

What it does not cover

  • TikTok describes it for parents, guardians and teens; it is not designed as a lock for your own adult account
  • It is still Restricted Mode and keyword filters underneath, with the same misses
  • Availability of some Family Pairing features varies by region, TikTok says

TikTok questions

What does TikTok Restricted Mode hide?

TikTok says you "shouldn't see mature or complex themes" such as profanity, sexually suggestive content, realistic violence or threatening imagery, firearms or weapons in an environment that isn't appropriate, illegal or controlled substances, and explicit references to mature themes. Its automated systems and human moderators decide, and TikTok asks you to report content that slips through.

Does Restricted Mode cover all my TikTok accounts?

No. TikTok: "If you have multiple accounts, you must turn Restricted Mode on for each account separately."

What stops working in Restricted Mode?

TikTok: "Some features are unavailable if you use Restricted Mode, including access to the Following feed, going LIVE, and gifting on LIVE."

Can someone else hold the setting for me?

TikTok documents Family Pairing for parents, guardians and teens: "Teens can always increase their own restrictions, but can't reduce those set by you." For your own adult account, the passcode is the only lock, so have an ally set it.

What On Guard adds

On Guard works underneath the app: it detects explicit content on the screen itself, on Mac, Windows, and Android, keeps every frame on the device, puts up a gate, and texts an ally a check-in with no details, so a passcode you hold yourself is not the last line.

The controls above are worth setting either way. On Guard is the layer for the moment a setting is not enough. How it works, explained.