This review explains TikTok’s U.S. Privacy Policy in plain language, for parents, teens, and older adults who use the app. It was checked on September 23, 2026. The policy was last updated July 15, 2026. The separate Children’s Privacy Policy and Guardian’s Guide were not opened. This is not legal advice.
Primary source: TikTok U.S. Privacy Policy. The operator named on that page is TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.
Snapshot
- Covers TikTok apps, websites, software, related services, and the TikTok Ad Network for U.S. users.
- Collects what you post, messages, approximate location, and details extracted from your videos, including faces and spoken words.
- Says it does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising where restricted by law, and still shares data with service providers, sellers, researchers, and some affiliates.
- A public account can make posts visible to other users and the public.
- Under 13, or under 14 in Florida, is supposed to use a separate Under 13 Experience, not the regular app.
What they collect
TikTok collects information you provide, including messages you send through shopping chat with sellers, and information you enter on advertiser forms. Location in the policy section checked here is approximate, based on SIM region, IP address, and device settings, plus a place you choose to add to a post. Precise GPS was not described in that section.
From videos, images, and audio, TikTok collects content characteristics: objects and scenery, “the existence and location of a face and other body parts,” and the text of words spoken. It says it may collect biometric identifiers such as faceprints and voiceprints from user content, and that where the law requires it, TikTok will seek permission before that collection.
Who gets the data
TikTok says it does not sell personal information or share it with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising where restricted by applicable law. It does share information with service providers and business partners for operations such as research, payments, deliveries, and technology services.
Sellers can receive information related to a purchase, including some information you provide and technical information. The policy also names TT Commerce & Global Services LLC and its affiliates, and says only specific categories are shared, consistent with applicable law, including Executive Order 14352. Affiliates under common control may receive information for purposes in the policy. Qualifying researchers may receive certain information. If you consent, TikTok may share an email address so a seller can send marketing.
Easy to miss
- A public account, with posts not individually restricted, means account information and user content may be visible to other users and the public. That is the default risk for a new teen account if nobody changes the setting.
- Face and voice analysis is not only a fun filter. The policy lists demographic classification and ad recommendations among the uses, alongside effects and moderation.
- Shopping chat with a seller is a message TikTok collects. It is not a private text outside the app.
- “We do not sell” still leaves room for seller marketing if you consent to sharing an email, and for researcher access.
New technology
The face, body, and speech analysis described above is the main new-technology issue in the pages opened for this review. Metadata “automatically uploaded in connection with your user content, messages, or AI interactions” is also named. The linked page that says “click here to learn more” about biometrics was not opened, so this review does not describe that extra page.
Kids and families
TikTok says the privacy of children matters, and that users under 13 in the United States, and 13-year-olds in Florida, get a separate experience that collects and processes only limited information. The Children’s Privacy Policy was not opened. If TikTok becomes aware a child’s information was collected outside that experience, it says it will delete the information and terminate the account.
A parent or guardian can request deletion or a download of a child’s data through TikTok’s privacy webform. Depending on the state, the policy says a parent may also have rights over a teen’s account. Connecticut residents under 18, and parents of Connecticut users under 16, have a specific unpublish or delete right described in the policy. The Guardian’s Guide is the parent resource TikTok names. It was not opened for this review.
Older adults
Shopping and seller messages are the practical risk. A seller is not TikTok support. Do not send a payment, gift card, or password in a shopping chat. Privacy requests go to the webform at tiktok.com/legal/report/privacy, or by mail to the Culver City address printed on the policy. A caller who demands a code is not that form.
What you can turn off
- Set the account to private, and restrict individual posts, if the account should not be public. The policy ties visibility to those settings. Confirm the current switch in the app, because menus move.
- Do not grant extra permissions the app does not need. Location in the section reviewed is approximate unless you add a place to a post.
- Unsubscribe from marketing email with the link in the message. Do not share an email with a seller unless you mean to.
- For a child under 13, or under 14 in Florida, use the separate children’s experience. Read the Children’s Privacy Policy before you rely on it. It was not checked in this review.
What this means for you
TikTok’s U.S. policy is clear that videos are analyzed, including faces and speech, and that a public account is visible beyond the people you know. Those two facts matter more for a family than the “we do not sell” sentence read alone.
Does TikTok sell personal information?
The policy says TikTok does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising where the law restricts that. It does describe sharing with service providers, sellers, affiliates, and researchers.
Can a parent delete a teen’s account?
The policy says a parent can request deletion of a child’s data or account through the privacy webform, and that some states add rights over a teen’s account. The exact screen depends on the state and was not tested in the app for this review.
This is not legal advice. Checked September 23, 2026 against the U.S. policy updated July 15, 2026.