TikTok Privacy Policy Review
This review explains TikTok’s U.S. Privacy Policy in plain language, for parents, teens, and older adults who use the app. It was last checked on October 31, 2026. The policy in effect is still the version 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.
- Even a private account shows your name, username and profile photo to anyone, on or off TikTok.
- Under 13, or 13 in Florida, is supposed to use a separate experience for children, not the regular app.
Five-minute TikTok privacy check
These paths come from TikTok’s own help pages. All start from Profile, then the Menu button (three lines) at the top, then Settings and privacy.
- Make the account private. Settings and privacy > Privacy > turn on Private account. You then approve who can follow you and see your videos. TikTok says others also cannot Duet, Stitch, download or add your posts to their Stories.
- Keep the profile itself plain. TikTok says your name, username and profile photo stay visible to anyone even on a private account, and people can still search for you. Use a first name or nickname and a photo that is not a school ID shot.
- Restrict single videos. You can limit who sees any one post in its video settings, even on a public account.
- Choose who can comment and message. The same Privacy area lets you pick who can comment, who can send direct messages, and whether your account is suggested to others.
- Check ads settings and cookies. The policy says the ads you see on TikTok and through its ad network depend on your ads settings, and that personalized ads on TikTok.com depend on your cookie choices. Review both.
For a teen, TikTok’s Family Pairing lets a parent lock some of these in. See our TikTok Family Pairing guide.
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.
TikTok also receives information from advertisers and partners that use its tools, such as the TikTok Pixel, on their own websites and apps. That is how shopping on another site can shape the ads you see in TikTok.
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.
How long TikTok keeps data, and how to leave
The policy does not give fixed time limits. It says TikTok keeps information as long as needed to provide the service and for the purposes in the policy, and longer for legal obligations, legal claims, or a “legitimate business interest” such as improving the service and its safety. Periods differ by type of information.
- Deactivate puts the account on hold. TikTok says it keeps your data so you can reactivate any time.
- Delete is under Profile > Menu > Settings and privacy > Account > Deactivate or delete account. Download a copy of your data first if you want your videos.
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. Check the setting on a teen’s phone rather than assuming a default.
- Private does not mean invisible. Name, username and photo always show, and the account can be found in search.
- 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.
- Deactivating is not deleting. TikTok keeps the data.
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. If TikTok becomes aware a child’s information was collected outside that experience, it says it will delete the information and terminate the account. If you think someone under 13 is using the regular app, TikTok asks you to report it at tiktok.com/legal/report/feedback.
A parent or guardian can request deletion of a child’s account or a download of their data at tiktok.com/legal/report/privacy. Depending on the state, the policy says a parent may also have rights over a teen’s account through the same form. Connecticut residents under 18, and parents of Connecticut users under 16, have a specific unpublish or delete right described in the policy. For parents of teens, TikTok points to its Guardian’s Guide.
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
- Turn on Private account under Settings and privacy > Privacy, and restrict individual posts where needed.
- Limit comments, direct messages and account suggestions in the same Privacy area.
- Review ads settings in the app and cookie choices on TikTok.com.
- 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 13 in Florida, use the separate children’s experience, not the regular app.
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. The practical fix is a private account, a plain profile, and Family Pairing for a teen.
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.
How do I make my TikTok account private?
Go to Profile, tap the Menu button, then Settings and privacy > Privacy, and turn on Private account. Your name, username and photo will still be visible to anyone.
Does deactivating TikTok delete my data?
No. TikTok says it keeps your data while the account is deactivated so you can come back. To remove it, choose delete instead.
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. Last checked October 31, 2026 against the U.S. policy updated July 15, 2026.
Back to Privacy Policies Watch
Where this information comes from: This guide is built from official sources, such as U.S. government consumer agencies and the companies’ own help pages and policies, linked in the guide where they are used. I looked it over myself before publishing. I’m not a lawyer or a security professional; like many parents and caregivers, I’m learning as I go, so check the official source before a big decision. How these guides are made.
