To turn off Restricted Mode on TikTok, go to your profile, open the three-line menu and follow this path: Settings and privacy → Content preferences → Restricted Mode → Turn off. Then complete the prompts shown on screen, including the passcode if the app asks for it. If you manage a minor’s account, you can also do this through Family Pairing.
It is worth distinguishing between removing this filter and lifting all account limitations: they are not the same thing. Restricted Mode affects both the videos you can watch and certain features, but turning it off does not override age-related restrictions.
Steps to turn off Restricted Mode on TikTok
The setting is found under content preferences, not in the options for each individual video. To locate it and complete the process, follow these steps in the app:
- Open your Profile by tapping the icon in the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the three-line menu in the top-right corner and go to Settings and privacy.
- Open Content preferences and select Restricted Mode.
- Tap Turn off and enter the passcode if you are asked to do so.
- Select the reason why you want to disable it, if TikTok asks, and tap Submit to finish.
The passcode is part of the process when it has been set up previously, either by you or by your parents. So if that screen appears, simply tapping the off button will not be enough: you will need to enter it to continue.
Among the reasons TikTok may offer are that you kept seeing inappropriate content, you do not understand how the filter works, you cannot choose which content to restrict, or you cannot use gifts in LIVE. There is also an option to write another reason, so you can explain what led you to change the setting.
Once you have completed the prompts and submitted the form, Restricted Mode will be turned off. The key is to finish the entire process, not just reach the switch; there is one last screen waiting its turn here too.
What the filter limits and how to manage it as a family
Restricted Mode is designed to reduce exposure to content that may be inappropriate or uncomfortable. This includes offensive language, sexually suggestive material, graphic or realistic violence, threatening imagery, weapons in inappropriate contexts, drug references and mature topics aimed at an older audience.
However, its scope does not end with videos: while it is enabled, it also prevents access to the Following feed, going LIVE and sending gifts during a LIVE. Who would expect a content filter to also close the door to the feed of accounts you follow? That difference explains why it may look as though some app features are missing.
If you are a parent or guardian and want to manage this setting on a linked account, use Family Pairing. From the three-line menu, go to Settings and privacy, open that section and select the minor’s account you want to manage.
Within its options, go to Content preferences → Restricted Mode → Turn off. Complete the instructions that appear, which may include entering a passcode and choosing the reason for turning it off, just as in the process for an individual account.
If you have not linked the accounts yet, you will need to complete that setup first. Select the option to continue as a guardian and use the invitation or QR code that the minor can scan with their phone, following TikTok’s instructions. Family management requires that prior link; knowing the profile name is not enough.
Age restrictions and alternatives to Restricted Mode
Turning off this mode does not guarantee that every feature will be available. Accounts belonging to minors may still have other age-based limitations related to LIVE broadcasts, direct messages, comments from people who are not friends, Duet and Stitch options, or video downloads. It is not advisable to attribute every missing feature to a single setting.
There is also a difference between turning off the filter and customising it: TikTok does not let you choose which categories Restricted Mode allows. You cannot keep it enabled while separately allowing access to Following, LIVE broadcasts or live gifts; those features remain limited while it is in use.
If what you want is to avoid certain topics without using that full set of restrictions, you will find keyword filtering under Content preferences. This tool lets you block videos containing the words you specify from appearing in your feeds. It is a more targeted alternative for choosing what you want to keep away, although it is not the same as configuring Restricted Mode categories.
On the other hand, the filter does not guarantee that all inappropriate content will disappear. If you keep it enabled and come across a video you consider unsuitable, you can report it for TikTok to review. Even when it does not violate the Community Guidelines, the platform may exclude it from the content available in this mode.
The choice therefore depends on what you need to control: a broad restriction on content and features, family management of the account, or filtering focused on specific words.
