How to turn off age restriction on TikTok

While TikTok's age restriction is in place to protect younger people from inappropriate content, it can be a nuisance to those over the age of 18.

The restriction filters out contents for younger users in order to protect them. Considering the number of children and young teenagers now on the app, the age restriction is a necessity.

The restriction is often put in place by parents and can only be switched off with a passcode they have used to switch it on.

The app, which has a minimum age to sign set at 13 years old, already has some automatic protections in place. Since January 2021, those joining TikTok under the age of 16 have their account set to private by default where users have to approve people who can follow or watch their videos.

Ofcam research earlier this year found that 16% of kids aged three and four were watching TIkTok content. A third of those aged between five and seven were watching videos from the app.

How to switch off TikTok's age restriction

Those under the age of 18 are recommended to keep the restriction on. For adults, here are the steps to follow in order to turn off the age restriction:

1. Firstly - and obviously - open your TikTok app.
2. Go to your profile page on the bottom right.
3. Tap the menu placed at the top right of your profile page. It is presented by three horizontal lines.
4. Select 'Settings and Privacy'.
5. Scroll down to the 'Content & Activity' section and select 'Digital Wellbeing'.
6. Select 'Restricted Mode'
7. You will then be asked to enter the passcode used to enable Restricted Mode.
8. Enter the passcode and the age restriction will be turned off.

If the age restriction is still in place, it is likely a glitch and users should contact TikTok for assistance.