TikTok rule changes are coming for creators and commenters

On Thursday, TikTok announced updates to its Community Guidelines in an effort to make its rules clearer and easier to follow, TikTok's global head of trust and safety, Sandeep Grover, wrote in a blog post. The changes will go into effect on Sept. 13.

The Community Guidelines will now have a top-line summary for each policy. But it's not just the format that will change. According to the blog post, TikTok will introduce new rules for misinformation, consolidate rules for gambling, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, firearms, and other weapons into one policy, refine its bullying policy, and more.

You can compare the current Community Guidelines with the new ones going into effect next month. The general rules for Safety and Civility, Mental and Behavioral Health, Sensitive and Mature Themes, Integrity and Authenticity, Regulated Goods, Services, and Commercial Activities, and Privacy and Security are now plainly on the page.

Previously, the main page only contained a section on Content Moderation, which remains largely the same but with some copy changes. As TechCrunch noted, the soon-to-be-former Content Moderation section said that, "Keeping our platform safe, trustworthy, and vibrant requires balancing creative expression and preventing harm." It will now say, "We want TikTok to be a safe, fun, and creative place for everyone" — removing "trustworthy" from these guidelines.

The section on Misinformation, nestled in Integrity and Authenticity, is mostly the same but with some language edits. For example, the previous guidelines state that unverified information about emergencies is ineligible for the For You Feed; the new ones say the same about "crises and major civic events."

TikTok also changed the Accounts and Features section, which includes rules about features like TikTok LIVE, search, external links, comments, direct messages, and monetization. (You can also compare the current Accounts and Features page with the upcoming one.) TikTok expanded this section, such as explicitly stating what constitutes a violation of its rules.

For example, on the TikTok LIVE section, the guidelines now state that LIVE creators are responsible for anything that happens during sessions, even if it includes third-party tools like voice-to-text. If voice-to-text reads out a harmful comment, the creator is responsible for enabling the tool.

The expansions on what LIVES aren't eligible for the For You Feed include if a session shows "low quality content" like a blank screen, or if there's "potentially distressing material that may cause anxiety or fear, such as scary make-up."

The section on comments was also expanded. TikTok states that comments may be sorted lower if they "don't add to the conversation," like if they include profanity or offensive statements.

Grover said these changes are informed by conversations with creators, experts, and organizations, including the app's regional Advisory Councils. The app has trained human and AI moderators to apply these new rules. Grover specifically states that the app will continue to invest in "modern technologies," including AI, to enforce its policies.

These Community Guidelines edits come shortly after TikTok introduced fact-checking Community Notes and parental blocking features last month.