TikTok account banned or restricted?

TikTok does not only have one kind of ban. Its enforcement comes in steps, and the step you are on changes what you should do.

• A removed video or warning. One post is taken down and you get a notice.
• A feature restriction. You may be blocked from posting, commenting, messaging or going LIVE for a while, or your videos may stop showing in the For You feed.
• A temporary ban. You cannot use the account until a set date.
• A permanent ban. The notice says the account is banned and gives an appeal option.

TikTok's help pages describe a strike system: violations add up, and enough of them can lead to a permanent ban. There is also a separate kind of removal for accounts TikTok believes belong to someone under its minimum age. Those cases usually turn on proving your age rather than arguing about a video.

1. Save the evidence. Screenshot every notice, email and in-app message, with the date visible.
2. Appeal in the app. Open the notice and look for the option to disagree or appeal. Keep it short and factual.
3. Get your data. If you can still log in, request a copy of your data in the settings. If you cannot, you can ask for it under the GDPR.
4. Do not open a new account. It can count as evading the ban.
5. Ignore recovery offers. Never pay anyone who asks for your password or promises to get the account back.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) gives you three things that apply to TikTok.

First, a statement of reasons. When TikTok removes content, limits its visibility, stops monetisation, or suspends or closes an account, it must tell you the facts, the rule it relied on, whether automated tools were used, and how to challenge it.

Second, a free internal complaint. You can complain through TikTok's own system for at least six months from the day you were told about the decision. A person must be involved, not only an automated system, and if you show the decision was wrong, TikTok must reverse it without undue delay.

Third, an out-of-court dispute body. Appeals Centre Europe and User Rights are certified bodies that both list TikTok. You can go to them even if you have not appealed in the app. It is free or costs a nominal fee, and they decide within 90 days of receiving your complaint. The decision is not binding, but TikTok must engage in good faith. Use our dispute body finder to compare them. Your right to go to court stays in place.

These rules protect people who live in the EU. If you live in the UK, Norway or elsewhere, the in-app appeal is your main route. The free ban checker asks a few questions and shows which of these steps fit your case.