How to Permanently Delete TikTok Account

Evan Gower November 1, 2019

If there is something almost everyone can agree on these days, it’s that we are all at a loss about how to handle our continuously growing dependence on screens. And “screens” is just a broad term of what that actually includes.

Social media is in our lives and it seems like it’s here to stay. A press conference seems like a thing of the past. Everyone is breaking news and offering insights through social media platforms. It’s the new normal.

But, on a personal level, it’s a bit different. Sure, it’s almost an inevitable part of modern living, but the nature of social media tends to clash with other things in our lives.

Why Delete TikTok

Social media platforms are created to make communication easy and instantaneous. We’re encouraged to discover things, express our views on every issue under the sun, and share our creative side.

When It’s Too Much

TikTok offers a wide space for those who enjoy lip-syncing, dancing, and comedy skits. It can be overwhelming sometimes. And since the bulk of TikTok users are young people aged 16 to 24, you can see how this fast-paced multimedia app is incredibly appealing. They get to have fun and create content together with their friends.

But, the enthusiasm and free flow of creativity go hand in hand with vulnerability. TikTok is constantly updating the community guidelines and alerting parents to what kind of content to watch out for. If TikTok starts to become more of a burden than a joy, you might consider deleting it.

Oversharing

Another thing that can be bothersome after a while is just the amount of content you can encounter on a daily basis. It doesn’t take long for someone to get really proficient at using TikTok and pretty soon they could be posting several times a day.

And no matter how much fun it all is, oversharing has become a real problem lately, and even social media influencers are cautious about it. Information overload can take a toll, and even with the best of intentions, we can’t manage to process everything that is presented to us sometimes. We want to like every one of our friend’s birthday photos, and leave a comment for someone who is sharing a personal story, but it’s impossible to get to it all.

Privacy Issues

Maybe it all seemed like a good idea for a while, but then you hear that TikTok is under investigation in the UK for how it handles the personal information of its younger users.

In general, social media apps and privacy don’t go well together. We essentially forfeit a lot of our info when we sign up to use them. And if this is something you’re getting increasingly uncomfortable with, luckily you can always delete your account.

How to Do It?

Before you go through the steps of permanently deleting your TikTok app, you should keep in mind several things of relevance:

You’ll lose all of your posted videos
Your login access (username and password)
No refund for in-app purchases
You will have 30 days before the account is permanently deleted. During that time, your account will appear as “deactivated” to other users

If you are sure that you want to delete your TikTok account, continue as follows:

Go to your TikTok app and open your profile page by tapping the icon in the lower right corner
Click the three dots in the upper right corner of your profile page
Then select “Manage my account”
At the bottom of the page, you’ll see “Delete account” option
You will be directed to the SMS verification page
Enter the 4-digit code you receive via SMS
You will be asked to confirm the deletion of your TikTok account
Click “Delete” and your TikTok account will be deleted, and you’ll be redirected to the TikTok starting page

If you originally signed up for TikTok through an existing Google account, the process is even shorter. You would:

Go to your profile page and click on the three dots in the upper right corner
Select “Manage my account”
You will be asked to “Verify and Continue”
Then you’ll be asked to confirm that you want to delete your account by tapping on “Delete Account” (bottom of the screen)

Much Ado About Nothing

Clearly, deleting your TikTok account is somewhat more complicated than setting it up in the first place, but it’s nothing too difficult to handle. If you decide to return to using TikTok and all its fun features, you’ll have to set up a new account and a different user name.

Let us know in the comments below your experiences with permanently deleting social media apps.