How To Report Someone on TikTok When You Suspect Something

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Carolyn Howell

Last Updated: May 17, 2024

TikTok 101
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Social media is a great place to interact with authentic brand accounts. Household names have internet personas that you can interact with. That’s why it’s so annoying to run into fake imitation accounts on social media. It makes you want to know how to report someone on TikTok.

Fortunately, the platform lets you do that. It developed a form for accounts to tattle on any weird TikTok pages. Knowing you can report to TikTok or appeal an impersonation account is good. But there could be other reasons that you want to report an account. 

This blog post outlines all the possibilities. Read it and see how it improves your experience on the platform.

When To Know How To Report a Video on TikTok

Content from suspicious accounts doesn’t have to personally affect you for you to report it. You could say that TikTok appreciates a certain level of vigilanteism. Of course, you can’t go around reporting everything that you don’t like on the platform. It is a free platform for anybody to use as they like, within reason. 

If you don’t like someone’s posts, you can always keep scrolling. There is a wealth of content online for you to enjoy. But sometimes, you come across objectively harmful content. In such circumstances, it’s good to know how to report a video on TikTok. We will give you three common reasons users report accounts.

1. Hate Speech

We are all free to have our opinions. But there is a fine line between having an opinion and being hateful. TikTok doesn’t allow for hateful rhetoric on the platform. If you see a content creator speaking disparagingly regarding a group of people, it may qualify as hate speech.

It doesn’t matter if you are not part of that subgroup of people. You can still make a report to TikTok on the grounds of hate speech. Put it in the hands of TikTok to make the decision.

2. Illegal Activities

People seem to be very bold about partaking in illegal activities these days. They may even go online to show off this activity. It could involve the sale of illegal drugs or the commission of violent crimes. 

You may even see someone explaining how to execute these crimes in a TikTok video. This is not TikTok’s intention. It wants active users to share information, not inspire users to get away with crimes. It doesn’t even want to glorify this activity. If you think that content falls into this category, make a report. Who knows? You may stop a potentially violent crime in its tracks. 

3. Violent or Graphic Content

The world is not always a beautiful place. It’s more than just a field of flowers and waterfalls in remote countries. Sometimes, it involves war and bloodshed. That doesn’t mean that this content should be easily accessible. 

Scrolling your For You page to see gory images can be quite jarring. This is especially true when the video follows more calm content. 

Even the news knows that it has to blur certain images from the public. Feel free to make reports when images depict violent or graphically disturbing content. 

A woman in an office reviews a printed report.

How To Report an Account on TikTok: Requirements for Reporting Illegal Content 

You want to know how to report on TikTok. We have to admit that the process is very complex. It’s not as simple as clicking a red flag. TikTok needs to know that you feel strongly about your application. 

There are a few requirements that you need to keep in mind. Pay attention to these three points to learn how to report an account on TikTok.

1. Choose the Relevant Country

Countries have the right to create their own laws. Naturally, different countries have different laws that citizens must abide by. What is illegal in one country may not be legal in another. TikTok needs to know which country you feel would not allow this content.

More than likely, you are speaking about your own country. Of course, TikTok doesn’t limit you to reporting content that may contravene your country’s laws.

2. Name the Applicable Law

You cannot just casually say that the video breaks laws. You have to actually name the law in question. Ideally, you should say the exact section of the legislation or regulation. This sounds a bit onerous. Unless you are an attorney, this might be too much work. 

Still, TikTok claims to need this information to assess the case properly. It won’t go and find that relevant law for you. It only promises to apply it when you tell it what it is. 

3. Reasons for the Report

You can’t assume TikTok knows what aspect of the video is illegal. It depends on you to give them the reasons for it being illegal. Be very detailed about what part of the video is offensive. Time stamps and direct quotes could be helpful.

Understand that granting such an application could have far-reaching effects on the creator. The persons assessing the report must know that TT is making the right decision. You have to put your evidence together for a fulsome report.

How Do You Report Someone on TikTok?

You may have stumbled across a shockingly offensive video. Against your better judgment, you follow the video to the TikTok account. Horrifyingly, you see that inappropriate content is the norm for this creator. 

Now you’re wondering, “How do you report someone on TikTok?” Reporting every single video would be tedious. 

Do you think this entire page needs to go under review? Fortunately, a method is in place to report an entire TikTok page. Follow these quick steps if you think the account goes against community guidelines:

  1. Go to the page of the creator in question.
  2. You will see three dots in the top right corner. Tap them.
  3. You will see the Report option. Select this option and follow the steps that subsequently come up.

How to Un Report on TikTok When You Made a Mistake

Whoops! You were a little too quick with your thumbs. You know how to report on TikTok and report the wrong one. Now you’re worried that a creator is in trouble. Don’t worry. We will show you how to unreport on TikTok:

  1. Open your TikTok profile on your phone.
  2. Go to your Notifications.
  3. Look for the video you reported. It should be under a Reports tab. 
  4. Tap on this video. Select the three dots. Choose the option to Undo Report
  5. You will have to confirm your decision.

There! Now, save that energy for fake accounts or pesky impersonation accounts.

Can You See Who Reported You on TikTok?

No, TikTok or not, tell you who reported you. They keep this information to themselves. This is why followers sometimes have to decipher who reported their favorite account. 

You will see them in the comment section trying to guess who made the report. It is not public knowledge, and their guesses are purely speculative.

It’s reasonable to ask, “Can you see who reported you on TikTok?” You want to keep your content away from that person in the future. You can always appeal to TikTok if you feel you did not deserve the report. 

A shadowban on your account can seriously affect your platform growth. Take action if you think it is worth defending.

How To Report a Live on TikTok When Creators Take Advantage of the Platform

A TikTok Live is a real-time transmission of video content. It’s not the kind of content you edit and upload for people to enjoy afterward. 

Everything you see is happening at the same time. Who knows the kinds of things people think they get away because of this? 

They may think they can act quickly enough, but TikTok will never know. Well, this would be true if you are not paying attention. TikTok lets you report live streams as well. You just need to know the steps to do it. This is how to report a live on TikTok:

  1. The live stream must still be in progress for these steps to work. So, go to that live video. 
  2. Tap the Share button on the right-hand side of the screen. 
  3. From the options that come up, select Report. Now you have to follow all the steps that follow.

We can’t tell you how quickly TikTok will act upon receiving this report. Sometimes, creators notice a ban on their account long after someone reports an infraction. 

TikTok may allow them to get away with it this time. They might just thwart their creative efforts next time around.

You Need To Know More Than How to Report Someone on TikTok

We will never deny the endless possibilities of having a TikTok account. On occasion, it can be tedious to keep up with. Other users simply do not play fair. 

It might mean that you have to show your inner Karen on occasion. Still, that should not impact your growth capabilities on the platform. 

You can have a much larger follower base than you do now. You just need to align yourself with a growth professional who knows what they’re doing. 

Luckily, you won’t have to look too far. High Social is the best tool that you could use to grow your page.

We implement advanced targeting techniques to align you with your community. Our results speak for themselves. It’s good to know how to report someone on TikTok. But don’t forget that you need to pay more attention to your page. 

Let’s hope you reach new heights. Start your growth journey on TikTok with us today.

TikTok 101