TikTok launches £3.99 charge to use the app ad-free
There’s nothing quite like putting a show on the streaming service you pay a subscription for every month and sitting down in front of it to scroll through your phone.
Usually it’s a quick social media doom scroll while the TV plays in front of you, but maybe you’re hardcore and watch TikTok at the same time as watching your favourite show.
But now that habit might be coming in at an even higher cost, as you may need to pay for both.
Yep, while the platform might typically be free to use, it has just launched a £3.99 a month charge.
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There’s no need to panic, you’ll still be able to carry on using TikTok as you have been without paying but from today (11 May) users will be getting a new notification.
Those aged 18 and over on the app will start getting notified that you’ll need to splash out £3.99 a month if you want to be able to use it ad-free.
How TikTok's new 'consent or pay' model gets around UK data protection laws
Personalised advertising uses your search history, social media scrolling, and sometimes even your location data to target products at you.
Targeted ads are very handy for businesses. After all, you're much more likely to interact with an ad if your online data shows you're already likely to be interested in the product.
However, under UK data protection law, if you want to process someone's personal data to advertise to them, you need clear consent from them to do so.
Because most people would choose to withhold that consent, many businesses have resorted to a new model called 'consent or pay' - you either consent to the platform using your data for personalised adverts, or pay a subscription fee.
The likes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat have already begun rolling out these ad-free subscription charges. This allows users to see no or fewer adverts at a monthly cost.
And TikTok previously began trialling ad-free monthly subscriptions in some global markets back in 2023.
UK users on the platform can currently opt out of seeing personalised ads on TikTok, but as this new subscription experience comes in, they will no longer be able to do so.
TikTok Ad-Free users will still see some ads
It’s not yet been clarified when you will need to make the decision of if you want to pay or not for TikTok.
UK users will be gradually getting these pop-up notifications for TikTok Ad-Free over the next few months.
If you opt to subscribe for this, you won’t get any ads anymore that are delivered by the company across various areas of the app. But you’ll still be shown paid or sponsored content, usually signposted by creators with the classic ‘#ad’.
So, just to be clear, TikTok Ad-Free would mean no TikTok adverts but still ads for products or services by individual content creators.
"Advertising on our platform is already helping thousands of British businesses reach new customers, increase sales and create jobs, while our new ad-free option gives people greater control over their experience," said Kris Boger, TikTok's UK managing director.
"Together, this ensures we continue to deliver real economic impact while giving our community the flexibility to engage with TikTok in the way that suits them."
Topics: TikTok, Social Media
Jess Battison