Key TikTok Privacy Settings to Enable Immediately for Enhanced Security

Step 1: Disable Contact Syncing

To keep your contact list private and prevent TikTok from accessing your phone’s address book, you need to turn off contact syncing. Here’s how:

1. Open the TikTok app on your device.
2. Tap the Profile icon at the bottom right corner.
3. Select the hamburger menu in the upper right corner, then go to Settings & privacy.
4. Navigate to Privacy > Sync contacts and Facebook friends.
5. Disable the Sync contacts toggle, and opt to Remove previously synced contacts.
6. Ensure Sync Facebook friends is also turned off.

Pro Tip: Review your suggested account settings to keep unwanted connections at bay.

Step 2: Conceal Your Activity Status

If you want to avoid pressure from others seeing your activity status, turn this feature off:

1. Go to Settings & privacy > Privacy.
2. Toggle off the Activity Status option under the Discoverability section.

Pro Tip: Keeping your activity status hidden can also lessen the psychological pressure to respond immediately.

Step 3: Disable Profile & Post Views

For those who prefer browsing TikTok anonymously, here’s how to disable visibility on profile views:

1. Navigate to Settings & privacy > Privacy.
2. Toggle off Post views and Profile views.

Pro Tip: This setting enhances your browsing experience without anxiety about who is watching.

Step 4: Conceal Your Likes and Follows

Maintain privacy over your social interactions by hiding your likes and follows:

1. Go to Settings & Privacy > Privacy.
2. Choose Following list and set it to Only you.
3. Then, do the same for Liked videos.

Pro Tip: Limiting visibility can help prevent unnecessary scrutiny from followers.

Step 5: Control Who Can DM You and Comment

You can customize who can send you messages and comment on your posts:

1. Navigate to Settings & privacy > Privacy.
2. Under Direct messages, adjust Allow direct messages from to your preference (e.g., Friends or No one ).
3. Control comments similarly by modifying Allow comments from.

Pro Tip: Restricting comments can significantly reduce unwanted negative interactions.

Step 6: Set Up Private Stories

Control who sees your stories by setting them to private:

1. Go to Settings & privacy > Story.
2. Choose either Friends or Only you to limit who can view your stories.

Pro Tip: Customize your audience for each story if you prefer varying privacy levels.

Step 7: Activate Two-Factor Authentication

Adding an extra layer of security can safeguard your TikTok account:

1. Navigate to Settings & privacy > Security & permissions > 2-step verification.
2. Select your preferred verification method (e.g., authenticator app, email) and turn it on.

Pro Tip: A strong password combined with 2FA makes your account much harder to compromise.

Step 8: Switch to a Private Account

For increased privacy, consider making your TikTok account private:

1. Go to Settings & privacy > Privacy.
2. Toggle on the Private account option to manage who can see your content.

Pro Tip: Be mindful that a private account may reduce your visibility if you wish to grow your followers.

What happens when I switch to a private account on TikTok?

How do I turn off my activity status?