The For You Page is getting a much-needed clean. An update to TikTok‘s Community Guidelines introduces some “eligibility standards” that creators must meet if they want their videos to show up on TikTok’s central hub.
Under TikTok’s new terms, videos will be disqualified from FYP distribution if they hit on sensitive topics, such as “dieting, extreme fitness, sexual suggestiveness, sadness (such as statements of hopelessness, or sharing sad quotes), and overgeneralized mental health information.” Those categories are similar to the ones targeted by a YouTube crackdown that attempted to remove “imitable content” (including videos that promote disordered eating patterns).
TikTok’s massive scale makes it nigh-impossible for the app to remove all “problematic” content from the FYP, so the Community Guideline update is specifically going after accounts that evade the rules in a “repetitive” manner. Those troublemakers will be barred from the FYP, and in some cases, they’ll be de-ranked in TikTok’s search.
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By doubling down on user safety, TikTok is continuing its commitment to community trust. That effort, led by Head of Operations Adam Presser, has been undermined by TikTok’s repeated security lapses. The latest exposé of that variety comes from Forbes and concerns data from advertisers like Amazon, Disney, and the New York Times. According to the Forbes report, ByteDance and TikTok employees in both China and the U.S. had access to the sensitive data.
Though TikTok has attempted to downplay the severity of its lapses, the wave of damning reports may be more impactful than any attempts to clean up the app. The United States Congress has made clear that it intends to move forward with a vote on a bill that, if enacted, would force ByteDance to either divest TikTok or remove the platform from American app stores.
The bill seems to be on the fast track to the Senate floor, and to improve its odds of passing, House leaders are turning to a classic strategy. The proposed TikTok divestiture could be tied to foreign aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Given Gen Z’s feelings on Israel, that move may cause TikTok’s base to push back even harder against the ban.
