TikTok Terms of Service

This is TikTok's legal agreement for US users, covering everything from how you can use the app to what happens if there's a dispute — and it applies the moment you open TikTok, even without an account. The most important thing to know is that by posting any video, photo, or even AI chat prompt on TikTok, you give TikTok a permanent, irrevocable right to use that content to train its AI systems, free of charge, even if you later delete your account. You should review your privacy and content settings in the app, and be aware that if you have a dispute with TikTok, you must use individual arbitration — not a lawsuit or class action — unless you opt out within 30 days of agreeing to these Terms.

This document is TikTok's US Terms of Service (last updated January 22, 2026), governing the contractual relationship between US users and TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC for use of the TikTok platform, including apps, websites, software, and related services, under US law with California courts as the exclusive venue for non-arbitrated disputes. The most significant user obligations include granting TikTok a broad, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable license to use all user-generated content — including AI prompts and outputs — for purposes including training machine learning models, and agreeing to binding individual arbitration with a class action waiver for most disputes. Notable deviations from industry standard include the explicit extension of the content license to cover AI model training on user inputs and outputs, TikTok's unilateral right to modify terms with as little as 30 days' notice (or immediately for legal/safety reasons), and the retention of content licenses even after account deletion where content has been incorporated into third-party posts. This document engages COPPA (children under 13), CCPA (California consumer privacy rights), FTC Act Section 5 (unfair/deceptive practices), and the Federal Arbitration Act; the mandatory arbitration clause administered through JAMS and the class action waiver create material compliance and litigation risk, particularly given ongoing FTC and state-level scrutiny of TikTok's data practices and the USDS Joint Venture structure created under a national security consent framework.