Today, TikTok is considered one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. That is why many influencers and public figures headed there to gain a massive number of followers. For many, the platform has become their main source of income and a huge part of their careers. So, we can only imagine the level of frustration people feel when they find out their account has been banned.
Starting over from scratch is usually not an easy choice. Many users have put so much time and effort into building a strong following base on TikTok. Throwing all this away can be heartbreaking. Losing your account means losing all the content on your profile. All these posts contain so many memories and hard work. The good news is that you still have a chance to recover your banned account. Here are some ways to help you save your account:
Why do TikTok accounts get banned?
To recover your account, you need to figure out, why it got banned in the first place. There are two main reasons why the app bans accounts:
- Age Restrictions
This issue was first raised after the company had to pay $5.7 million as a settlement fee to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The fee was charged in response to TikTok violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
After this incident, the company started banning all accounts owned by users under the age of 13 years. No one can deny that this is a good move to protect children’s online privacy. However, many users got their accounts banned by mistake. All the teenagers between 14 and 18 years old, could not provide an ID to verify their age.
- Guidelines Violations
Any content you publish on the platform goes through automatic filtering. This technology identifies and flags any potential violations. The graver the breach of TikTok community guidelines the harsher the penalty will be. That is why you need to make yourself familiar with these guidelines to avoid posting anything against them.
If your account continuously violates the guidelines, it will most probably get banned permanently. In this case, the chances of recovering your account will be much lower.
Violations against the app guidelines include posting: something threatening to public safety, violent or graphic content, adult nudity, and spam or misinformation.
What to do?
Do not worry. TikTok will not leave you guessing. Whenever your account gets banned, you will receive a notification from the app informing you of this news. Now, it is time to start working on a plan to recover your account. Here are some ways to help you out:
Contact their Customer Support
This solution will work only if your TikTok account has been temporarily banned. In this case, you will receive an email from them notifying you of the temporary ban. You can either wait for 24 to 48 hours, till the ban time passes. Afterward, your account should automatically get restored.
The other solution would be contacting the platform’s official customer support using these steps:
- Launch the app.
- Go to your “Profile” page.
- Tap on the burger icon (the three bold horizontal lines) in the top right corner.
- Choose the “Settings and privacy” option.
- Tap on “Report a Problem”.
- Now, click on “Account Issue”.
- Choose “Add an Email”.
- Briefly state your issue and send the message.
Usually, it takes from 6 to 8 hours to hear back from the official customer support. So, all you need to do now is wait for their reply.
Send them an appeal
Via E-mail:
If you do not hear back from customer support, you can try to send an appeal. Just write an e-mail explaining why you think the ban is a misunderstanding. State your claim in detail, and try to provide as much information as possible. All this will strengthen your case.
Be careful with the language you use, though. You do not want to sound hateful or aggressive. On the contrary, try to be formal, objective, and polite. These are some of the official e-mail addresses of TikTok you can send your appeals or complaints to:
Feedback@tiktok.com
Business-supportservices@tiktok.com
Legal@tiktok.com
Creators@tiktok.com
Info@tiktok.com
Privacy@tiktok.comThrough the App:
If your account gets a temporary ban, you will receive a notification. Use it to submit your appeal directly from the app. Here is how:
- Launch your app.
- Go to your “Inbox” to view the notification.
- Open the notification.
- Tap on Appeal.
- Follow the provided instructions.
When writing the appeal, try to be objective and detail oriented. Do not try to add false or misleading information. Remember, you will be held accountable for every word you write. So, try to be honest and accurate.
Include as many specific details as possible. Explain when your account got suspended and why you think it is unfair. If you have sent previous complaints about the matter, mention their dates. Write also about any response you have obtained and why the issue still did not get resolved.
Provide proof of your age
As mentioned above, some accounts get banned nowadays, because of the age restriction rules. Already, TikTok has given a chance to all users to share an official ID verifying their age. If you have not submitted an age proof yet, you can still do that to recover your banned account. In no time, your account will get restored. That is of course, if age restrictions was the reason behind the ban.
If the platform determines you were falsely banned, your account will be restored. The penalty on the account will be removed. It will not have any impact on your account in the future.
What are the account penalty and ban levels?
Like other social media platforms, TikTok also has its own violation system. All your breaches get recorded in this system. The penalties imposed on your account will depend on the severity and frequency of these violations.
Once you make a violation, the system will notify you about the consequences in your account Inbox. You can also check your record of violations in your Inbox. The more violations you make, the more penalties you will get. In the end, your account might get temporarily or permanently suspended. That is why you should always avoid violating the rules and regulations of the app.
These are the ban and penalty levels of TikTok:
First violation
Usually, you will just receive a warning in the app for the first time you violate their Community Guidelines. However, some violations have a zero-tolerance policy. If you commit such violations, your account will get banned forever. The app might even block your device to prevent you from creating future accounts.
Multiple violations
The consequences of multiple violations vary from one case to another. It all depends on the severity and frequency of your past violations. TikTok might suspend some features in your account, like for example, uploading a video or sending direct messages (DM). This suspension is not permanent. It usually lasts from 24 to 48 hours.
For more severe or frequent violations, your account will probably get banned. Also, there are two types of suspensions: temporary and permanent.
Temporary Ban
If you get a temporary ban, your profile will be restricted from posting videos or engaging in some other activities. You might even get view-only permission. In this case, you will be able to watch only. Your account cannot be used to interact or post anything.
The period of suspension is limited. It will be determined by the nature and severity of the violation you have committed. A temporary ban can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to get lifted. In more severe cases, the ban duration might last one week. Afterward, it should end automatically.
Permanent Ban
You do not want to get permanently banned on TikTok. This means you probably will not be able to recover your account. To receive a permanent ban, you must have committed an intolerable offense or multiple, repeated violations.
Because of the harshness of a permanent ban, usually the app warns users beforehand. You will receive a notification saying that if your violations persist, your account will be permanently suspended.
Zero-tolerance violations
TikTok does not tolerate violations, such as posting sexual content involving children. Committing such violations will get your account permanently banned. Your device might also get blocked, even if this was your first violation.
Building a follower base on the platform is not an easy task. No one wants to start this journey again from scratch. An even worse nightmare would be getting your device blocked by their system. To avoid these scenarios, you must religiously follow the community guidelines of the app.
However, you should not just give up if there is no chance of recovering your account. Pick yourself back up and start again. In all cases, violating severe community guidelines is not something you want to avoid anyway. Not just to save your account. Your moral compass should be your guide here.
