Tech Desk 
Aug 17, 2025
In a significant step to advance user experience, TikTok has announced an update to its Community Guidelines, which dictate the rules for participating on the social video platform.
The company revealed that new rules will dictate the standards TikTok uses to determine which videos make it onto its For You feed.
Meanwhile, the update largely revises the original text for simplicity’s sake; there are a few items that jump out in the new revision — notably how TikTok prioritises its marketplace and how extensively it customises the experience.
Notably, social media companies have to comply with a range of regulations globally, like the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA), the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), and the US’s TAKE IT DOWN Act, which in part has led to policy revisions on some platforms.
TikTok’s changes, which go live on September 13, 2025, are not as major as they appear. The company was often just rewriting text for clarity.
TikTok upgrades its Community Guidelines
However, one section that saw several additions in the updated guidelines covers the rules for TikTok LIVE creators.
The company urged creators to be responsible for anything that happens on their live session, even if it involves third-party tools, like real-time translation or voice-to-text tools to read out viewers’ comments.
TikTok notes creators to monitor those tools to make sure they’re not violating the rules through these third-party services.
On the other hand, TikTok has introduced new guidelines for commercial content. Commercial content must be disclosed.
The short video streaming platform said that it will reduce the visibility of content that directs users to “purchase products off-platform in markets where TikTok Shop is available.”
While the prior version of the guidelines said TikTok provided “search suggestions” that were relevant to the user, the new guidelines say both “search results and recommendations may look different for everyone.”
It is worth noting that the guidelines note that TikTok utilises information like your past searches and what you’ve watched to make the search results more relevant.
