They found their accounts deleted before they could even correct their birthdays.Īs a response to the complaints affected users aired on social media, TikTok tweeted that those who typed the wrong birthday will have to prove their age by sending in a copy of a government ID. Other users who didn't care what date they used when they created their accounts and appeared 13 and younger to the platform weren't even that lucky.
While she was able to download all her videos from a link the app sent, she lost 17,000 fans - and all the opportunities the platform afforded her.
She told the publication that she didn't think the age check would be a big deal and that the issue would've been avoided with the appropriate warning. Her account ended up getting instantly deleted. Unfortunately, the company's implementation seems to be far from perfect, because some users above 13 got their accounts deleted by mistake.Ī 15-year-old user named Paige told BuzzFeed News that she had to use the default current date for her birthday, because she couldn't change it due to the way the app was designed. In order to determine which users can access the regular interface and which ones will have to make do with the age-appropriate version, TikTok has been prompting people to verify their birthdays. One of those changes is directing users under 13 to a separate app experience that doesn't allow them to share videos. TikTok had to make sweeping changes after reaching a settlement with the FTC for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).