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Like any popular social media platform, TikTok has its fair share of bad actors looking to harass you with unwanted content and comments. Therefore, knowing how to block someone on TikTok comes in handy.
In this article, we give you a step-by-step guide to blocking users on TikTok so you can rest assured knowing that you’ve set some boundaries to protect yourself and even those you love. Let’s get started.
In this article
- What is TikTok?
- Why Would You Block Someone on TikTok?
- Privacy Management
- Unwanted Attention
- Harassment
- Protect Younger Users
- Inappropriate or Offensive Content
- How to Block Someone On TikTok On Mobile Devices
- Step 1 — Visit the Account You Want to Block
- Step 2 — Tap the Share Button
- Step 3 — Block the Profile
- How to Block Someone On TikTok On Desktop
- Step 1 — Visit TikTok.com and Find the User to Block
- Step 2 — Click on the Three Horizontal Dots
- Step 3 — Confirm Your Choice
- Can you Block People on TikTok in Bulk?
- What Happens After You Block Someone on TikTok
- How to Tell If You’ve Been Blocked on TikTok
- Can I Unblock Someone on TikTok?
- Step 1 — Open TikTok and Navigate to Your Profile
- Step 3 — Select an Account to Unblock
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs
What is TikTok?
Tiktok is a social media platform that focuses on short-form video content. According to the platform’s mission statement, TikTok aims to ‘capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and moments that matter’ and ‘inspire creativity and bring joy.’
It’s also one of the fastest-growing apps ever made. Since launching in 2016, TikTok has become the fourth biggest social media platform worldwide, boasting over 1.5 billion monthly active users in 2024.
The app lets you create short-form videos and share them with people online straight from the comfort of your home.
These short-form videos can vary in length from 3 seconds to a full minute, but most videos are typically 15 to 60 seconds long. TikTok content can also cover various topics, including educational content, comedy, and even dance.
However, their algorithm, and what some might see as a lack of moderation, makes it easy for less savory content to spread like wildfire, which could negatively impact children and young people on the platform. And to make things worse, the age limit for creating a TikTok account is a mere 13 years old.
Why Would You Block Someone on TikTok?
There are many reasons why you’d want to block someone on TikTok. For the most part, you might want to curate your experience and manage your interactions with other users on the app. This could be the case in several scenarios, like:
Privacy Management
There might be people you’d prefer not to watch the content you create. Maybe someone is outright copying your ideas. Perhaps the content you create is sensitive and personal, only meant for a small community of people.
If that’s the case, blocking someone is a great way to protect your privacy.
Unwanted Attention
Perhaps you’ve posted something that received more attention than you expected. This can be overwhelming, especially if you’re not used to being in the public eye.
This unwanted attention could be a simple message from someone you don’t know or a flurry of messages from a host of people.
If these interactions make you feel uncomfortable and the other person doesn’t stop interacting despite your request, that’s a good reason to block them.
Harassment
Unwanted attention can quickly turn to harassment. This is true for all social media platforms, including TikTok. Internet trolls take pleasure in flooding your comment section with negative comments, hoping to get a reaction.
Dealing with this day in and day out could become mentally taxing for anybody. Sooner or later, the negativity could get to you, and you might even start believing them. So, it’s better to stay proactive and block these people before the issue gets out of control.
Protect Younger Users
If you have children, being able to protect them from content you deem inappropriate or unsuitable for their age is a completely justifiable reason to block someone.
Safeguarding your child’s mental health has become even more important in an increasingly digitized world, where everyone spends more and more time online.
Inappropriate or Offensive Content
TikTok is primarily used for positive content. However, if you see content you find inappropriate or outright offensive, you can block these creators to keep your For You Page exactly how you want it.
This allows you to see content that best aligns with your interests and preferences. Just don’t go and create a social media echo chamber for yourself. But that’s beyond the scope of this article.
How to Block Someone On TikTok On Mobile Devices
Now, let’s get to the crux of this article. How exactly can you block someone on TikTok? Luckily, it’s a pretty easy process.
Keep in mind that blocking someone is a two-way street. Once an account is blocked, you won’t be able to see their content either, just like they won’t get to see yours.
Furthermore, the person you’ve blocked won’t be notified once you’ve blocked them.
Having said that, let’s go over how to do it. The following profiles are being used as examples.
Step 1 — Visit the Account You Want to Block
The process is the same whether you’re on Android or iOS. First, find the application on your device and tap to open it.
Once on TikTok, it’s time to find the account you want to block. There are several ways to do this.
When watching a video, you can tap on someone’s profile icon on the center-right side of the page. You can also use the search bar to look someone up directly if you already know their username.
Find the share button on the user’s profile. It looks like an arrow symbol, and it’s in the top right corner of the screen. Tapping this button reveals a menu with different options.
Step 3 — Block the Profile
Find the button that says ‘Block’ at the bottom of the pop-up menu.
Once you tap this, you’ll get a confirmation message saying that this profile will no longer be able to interact with yours. Tap ‘Block’ to confirm your choice.
How to Block Someone On TikTok On Desktop
Blocking someone on TikTok from your PC is largely similar. Follow these simple steps:
Step 1 — Visit TikTok.com and Find the User to Block
Head to TikTok’s web platform. Enter the username of the person you want to block in the search bar. Next, select the ‘user’ category and look for the account you want to block.
You can also access an account you’d like to block by clicking on the username under a video.
Step 2 — Click on the Three Horizontal Dots
Next to the profile image, to the right of the share arrow, you’ll see three dots. Click this button and select ‘Block.’
Step 3 — Confirm Your Choice
Similar to how it works on mobile, you’ll be asked to confirm your choice. Click the red ‘Block’ button under the menu. The account will no longer be able to interact with you.
Can you Block People on TikTok in Bulk?
Yes, you can actually block people in bulk on TikTok. Blocking more than one person at a time is actually easier than you might think.
To do this, start off by opening the comment section under one of your videos.
Next, tap the edit icon on the top left side of the comment window. This lets you mark specific comments made by different people. If you want, you can also delete these comments by tapping on ‘Delete’ at the bottom of the window.
Otherwise, to block them, all you need to do is tap on ‘More.’ This reveals more options, bulk blocking being one of them.
When you tap on ‘Block accounts,’ you’ll be asked to confirm your choice. Go ahead and select ‘Block accounts’ again. This will block all the accounts that sent the comments you’ve selected.
What Happens After You Block Someone on TikTok
Once you’ve blocked someone on TikTok, you’ll no longer be able to interact with their profile. Similarly, they won’t be able to interact with yours.
This means you won’t be able to message or receive messages from them, you won’t see any comments they make, and you’ll lose the ability to create a Duet with that profile.
The images below are examples of a blocked profile versus one that isn’t blocked. Notice how the image on the left has different videos for you to view, while the one on the right just says you’ve blocked that particular page.
How to Tell If You’ve Been Blocked on TikTok
If you suspect that you’ve been blocked on TikTok, there are a few easy ways to check. First, open TikTok and search for the person you think has blocked your profile.
If a profile you search for doesn’t show up, there’s a chance that you’ve been blocked. However, this could also mean that that particular profile has been deleted.
If you’re still unsure, another method is to do a web search. TikTok generates a unique link for each profile, which looks something like ‘tiktok.com/@username.’ Take that link and pop it into a browser. If the result says ‘No Content,’ then that person has blocked you.
There’s another method, though. If you’ve messaged someone you suspect has blocked you, check your messages box. If you’re unable to send them a message, even though you’ve sent one in the past, that’s a solid hint you’re now blocked.
To verify this, repeat this step using another profile. If you’re able to message that person on the alternative account, well, you got your answer.
Can I Unblock Someone on TikTok?
Yes, you can always unblock someone on TikTok; the process is relatively straightforward. Whether you’ve accidentally blocked someone or perhaps you’ve made amends with the person you’ve blocked, it’s very easy to undo this. Let’s see how:
Step 1 — Open TikTok and Navigate to Your Profile
Open the app and tap the profile icon in the bottom-right corner. Once on your account, tap the three lines in the top-right corner.
Step 2 — Open ‘Settings & Privacy’
In the new menu, open ‘Settings and Privacy.’ Tap on ‘Privacy’ and scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page. Here, you’ll see ‘Blocked accounts.’
Step 3 — Select an Account to Unblock
Tap on ‘Blocked accounts’ under your privacy settings. You’ll get a list of all the accounts you’ve blocked.
Simply tap the ‘Unblock’ button next to the profile you want to unblock. You should now be able to view their content and interact with them.
Final Thoughts
Blocking someone on TikTok is a great way to manage your privacy. Most people will block particular profiles to stop unwanted attention, harassment, or inappropriate content recommendations on their For You Page.
It’s a pretty straightforward process to block people on TikTok. On mobile, you can visit the profile you want to block, tap on the share button, and select ‘block.’ It’s similar on desktop — you must navigate to their page, click on the three dots next to their profile picture, and then block the account.
If you’ve accidentally blocked someone and would like to unblock them, navigate to your privacy settings, click on ‘Privacy,’ then scroll down until you see ‘Blocked accounts.’ Next, find the profile you’d like to unblock and tap the button that says ‘Unblock’ next to their name.
FAQs
Will someone know if I’ve blocked them on TikTok?
Can you block more than one person on TikTok?
Can you block someone from following you on TikTok?
How to tell if you’ve been blocked on TikTok?
References
- Most Popular Social Networks Worldwide as of April 2024, by Number of Monthly Active Users (Statista)
- Global: TikTok’s ‘For You’ Feed Risks Pushing Children and Young People Toward Harmful Mental Health Content (Amnesty International)
- What is Internet Trolling? (Howden Insurance)
- What is a Social Media Echo Chamber? (University of Texas)