TikTok Announces Launch of Hashtag Content Filters and New Safety Tools

TikTok has announced new content moderation tools for the short-form video platform to make it safer for children, along with new hashtag filters for its For You and Following feeds.

tiktok logo
The first version of its new system to restrict certain types of content from being viewed by teens is called "Content Levels," which is due to launch in the next few weeks.

While adult content is banned on the platform, TikTok says some content in the app may contain "mature or complex themes that may reflect personal experiences or real-world events that are intended for older audiences." Content Levels is designed to classify such content and assign to it a maturity score, which will keep it from being seen by users aged between 13 and 17.

Initially, TikTok says Trust and Safety managers will assign the scores to increasingly popular videos or those reported by users in the app, and the system will be expanded over time to offer filtering options for the entire community, not just teens. In its finished version, the system will ultimately allow creators to classify their content, similar to the way movies, TV shows, and video games use age ratings.

In addition to Content Levels, TikTok will soon launch hashtag filters that provide users with a new level of control over what appears in the For You and Following pages. Users will be able to designate specific words or hashtags they don't want to see in their feeds, and the app will automatically filter them out.

The feature is intended to go beyond merely filtering out mature or problematic content, and could also be used to stop TikTok's algorithm surfacing topics that users are sick of seeing or that they just don't care about. TikTok's example is using it to block dairy or meat recipes if you're going vegan, or to stop seeing DIY tutorials after a home project is completed.

The new content moderation features follow a 2021 Congressional inquiry into social apps like TikTok regarding how their algorithmic recommendations could be promoting harmful eating disorder eating content to younger users. More recently, TikTok was also sued by parents whose children died after attempting dangerous challenges allegedly seen on the platform.

Tag: TikTok

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

'New' iPhone SE Product Listing Appears on French Website

Wednesday February 12, 2025 6:49 am PST by
As the wait continues for Apple's long-rumored, fourth-generation iPhone SE, French electronics retailer Boulanger has prematurely published a product listing for a "new" model of the iPhone SE. The placeholder page says the device is "coming soon," but it offers no further information, and the price shown is obviously not real. The listing was spotted by a reader of the French technology...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
M4 Mac mini Apple Video

Apple's Refurbished Mac Mini Pricing Has a Problem

Thursday February 13, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple this week began selling refurbished Mac mini models with the M4 chip for the first time, but this has led to a pricing conundrum. In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs. The issue is...
M4 mini Glowing Blue

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished M4 Macs

Wednesday February 12, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today added MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M4 series chips to its certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland for the first time since the computers were introduced in October 2024. Some refurbished MacBook Pro models with M4 chips are also available in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and select other European countries. ...
iPhone 16 Apple Store

iPhone 17 in New Sizes This Year: What to Know

Thursday February 13, 2025 2:45 am PST by
Last year, Apple tweaked iPhone 16 Pro screen sizes to make them bigger than 2023's iPhone 15 Pro models, and this year we are also expecting a change in the size of the displays in the iPhone 17 lineup. Here's what we know. Standard iPhone 17 Apple could introduce a new display size for the standard iPhone 17 model in 2025. The iPhone 17 could measure in at 6.3 inches, up from 6.1 inches,...
Apple Ad on X

Apple Resumes Advertising on X

Wednesday February 12, 2025 2:18 pm PST by
Apple this month started advertising on X for the first time in more than a year. The company had stopped advertising on the social media platform in November 2023 following controversial remarks made by its owner Elon Musk. For example, the @Apple account is running an ad promoting Safari's privacy features. The ad was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The @AppleTV account has a...

Top Rated Comments

MBHockey Avatar
34 months ago
why are people still using this chinese spyware?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
34 months ago
TikTok and safety measures is an oxymoron.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Fly (film) Avatar
34 months ago
Where is the button for teens called "Delete Tik Tok from face of Earth"?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rocko99991 Avatar
34 months ago
This app needs to burn in hell.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
d5aqoëp Avatar
34 months ago
Please ban this app.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rp100 Avatar
34 months ago
weird, my iPhone already has a feature which handles this “problem”:

Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)