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TikTok introduced a new feature allowing users to refresh their For You feeds if they feel the current recommendations are no longer relevant to their interests. This comes as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to provide an enjoyable viewing experience while balancing the goals of self-expression and content diversity.
TikTok offers various ways to discover new content, from personalized recommendations in the For You feed to trending content in the Explore feed. Users craft recommendations for the For You feed when they follow creators, search for content, and engage with videos (likes, comments, and bookmarks).
How Refresh Encourages Content Diversity
The new refresh feature will allow users to reset their For You feeds as if they had just signed up for a new TikTok account with a fresh start on content recommendations. TikTok will begin surfacing new content recommendations based on new interactions with creators and videos.
This feature will not erase any settings you have in existing content preferences, such as filters for specific keywords, restricted content, and hidden creators.
TikTok hopes this move will reduce repetitive content so users can continue discovering new things. The platform typically avoids recommending consecutive videos by the same creator or using the same sound.
TikTok is committed to creating a safe and enjoyable viewing experience for its users by removing content that violates community guidelines, minimizing harmful topics in recommendations, and filtering mature themes for younger audiences using Content Levels, a system similar to movie and tv ratings.
Additionally, TikTok limits content that may adhere to community guidelines but negatively impact the user experience if viewed repeatedly, such as videos with themes of sadness, excessive exercise, restrictive dieting, or sexually suggestive material.
While TikTok encourages users to express themselves, even during difficult times, it also wants to prevent the promotion of self-injury or other harmful content to others.
Additional Ways To Reset Your Content Recommendations
Users who want to update the recommendations in the For You feed can still do so, even without the new refresh feature. Under your account settings and privacy, in the comment and watch history, you can select and delete some or all of the videos you have watched.
Screenshot from TikTok, March 2023This has two benefits: it removes your account from the video’s watch history and removes the video from being factored into your future recommendations.
You can also visit your content preferences and filter out specific keywords and hashtags. This will remove videos with those keywords and hashtags from your For You and Following feeds.
To continue shaping the recommendations in your For You feed, you can use the “not interested” option when you see a video you do not want to see again. You can find this option when you tap the share arrow on a video.
Screenshot from TikTok, March 2023Improvements In Educational Content
The new refresh feature follows TikTok’s recent announcement of a STEM feed. The new feed dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics videos will be evaluated by third parties to ensure it is safe for kids and includes accurate information for educational purposes.
Douyin, the version of TikTok available in China, already emphasizes educational content over entertainment for younger audiences to influence the next generation positively.
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