The video content littering on TikTok is too diverse in nature and makes too large a number to grind through strict censorship — many of the videos deal with subject matters that may be explicit or age-sensitive. With its grounds crowded with an audience that barely meets the agreeable age for free wandering, a sieve to filter out the inappropriate content is an uncompromisable requirement on TikTok. 

How does TikTok control the user experience given the scope and volume of content added daily to its database?

TikTok Restricted Mode: What happens when enabled?

TikTok added restricted mode to its features in order to boost the users with an option to weed out undesirable content from their feed. Any user can enable the restricted mode under the profile settings to filter out mature, or age-restricted content — a feature indispensable to the app considering the massive viewership figure of 28% it receives from younger audiences belonging to the under 18 age group.

Any video that the system classifies as inappropriate gets blocked from entering the video feed of accounts running on Restricted mode. The main element of the mode is the passcode you use to enable or disable the feature. A text that reads Restricted Mode prefixed with a little umbrella hovers over all the videos on the home feed when the mode is enabled.

While this filter may not ensure a 100% censorship of sensitive content, it helps to narrow down the number of inappropriate videos bleeding into the vision of innocent eyes. However, the flags or criteria for censorship as imposed by the system might end up affecting the quality of the content available on your feed. When the passcode prompts and the restriction itself impede your viewer experience on the app, it might be time to turn the Restricted Mode off altogether. 

Let’s jump right into the steps without any delay.

Related: How to Turn On Profile Views on TikTok

How to turn off Restricted Mode on TikTok without password

When you initially set up restricted mode on your TikTok account, assigning a passcode is an inevitable part of the process. Confirmation of the activity by entering the passcode is a mandatory step to enable or disable the mode. While you have the option to change the passcode, there is no workaround to enable or disable Restricted Mode if you do not know or recall it.

To put it plainly, without the passcode, you can not disable Restricted Mode. Does that mean you are forever doomed to waddle through “safe” content on that account? 

Not if the Help Center extends a helping hand, no, you do not have to limit the scope of the video content to a filtered pool. To get assistance from the TikTok team, you can make use of the option to “Report a Problem” under Settings and privacy. Let’s see how it is done.

Tap on the profile icon on the TikTok app.

Tap the burger button to go to Settings and privacy.

Under SUPPORT, tap Report a Problem.

Under TOPICS, select Suggestions.

Tap No to proceed to the reporting phase.

Hit Need more help? to continue.

In the text box, briefly explain your predicament (forgot Restricted Mode passcode) and request for solution (how to overcome the situation). See the screenshot below for an example sentence. Tap Report to complete the step.

What can be done from your end is thus completed. The reply from Help Center might take days to arrive. Hang in there, though!

Related: What Does PFP Mean on TikTok?

How to turn off Restricted Mode on TikTok with password

Launch the TikTok app and tap on the Profile icon to go to your profile.
Tap the three-lined button to view Settings and privacy options.
Under CONTENT & ACTIVITY, tap Digital Wellbeing.
Select Restricted Mode to view the settings.
Hit Turn off Restricted Mode.
Enter the 4-digit passcode in the prompt, and tap Next.
You will be redirected to the TikTok feed upon completion; as can be seen on the screenshot below, the restricted mode overlay text vanishes from the screen when the restricted mode is disabled.

FAQs

Restricted mode enabled automatically and cannot be disabled?    

Restricted Mode is a feature that can be manually turned on by a user registered as an adult on the system. However, if you are a minor linked under Family Pairing on TikTok to a Parent’s account, they have a unique option to remotely impose restrictions on your account. 

To check whether the restriction mode is enabled under Family Pairing, go to Profile >Settings and privacy>Family Pairing; if the answer is affirmative, then you have no choice but to negotiate with your parent/guardian regarding the imposition.

If your account is linked as the Child account, you do not have the authorization to turn off a restriction enforced by the Parent account.

Are restriction mode and screen time management passcodes the same?
Restriction mode and screen time management are independent settings that fall under Digital Wellbeing on TikTok. While the former is a tool to censor inappropriate content from your feed, the latter allows you to set a limit on your screen time on the app. Both use a 4-digit passcode to use, enable, and disable the function; however, they are set up separately and also function independently of each other.
Unless you repeat the passcodes on both, they need not be the same either. To conclude, neither can be used interchangeably unless they are both set up to be the same; each passcode is pertinent only to the assigned feature.
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