TikTok Updates LIVE & AI Content Rules for Creators
▼ Summary
– TikTok is updating its Community Guidelines, focusing on marketplace prioritization, personalized user experiences, and slight adjustments to AI-generated content rules.
– The update, effective September 13, 2025, includes stricter rules for TikTok LIVE creators, holding them accountable for third-party tools used during streams.
– Commercial content must now be disclosed, and TikTok will reduce visibility of off-platform purchase prompts in markets where TikTok Shop is available.
– Search results and comments are now more personalized, tailored to users’ past activity like searches, watches, replies, and likes.
– The guidelines simplify language around AI content bans, removing specifics about fake endorsements and focusing on misleading or harmful content.
TikTok is rolling out revised Community Guidelines that clarify rules for live streaming, AI-generated content, and commercial promotions while emphasizing personalized user experiences. The updated policies, effective September 13, 2025, refine existing standards rather than introducing sweeping changes, but several adjustments stand out for creators and brands navigating the platform.
One significant update focuses on TikTok LIVE, where broadcasters are now explicitly responsible for all content during their streams, including interactions facilitated by third-party tools like real-time translation or text-to-speech services. The platform warns creators to actively monitor these integrations to avoid unintentional guideline violations.
For businesses, the revised guidelines tighten disclosure requirements for commercial content. TikTok will also limit visibility for posts directing users to off-platform purchases in regions where its in-app shopping feature, TikTok Shop, operates. This move aligns with the platform’s push to keep transactions within its ecosystem.
The update also sheds light on how TikTok tailors content discovery. Search results and recommendations now adapt more dynamically based on individual behavior, including watch history and past searches. Similarly, comment sections are personalized, with sorting influenced by factors like previous engagement and reporting activity.
While AI-generated content rules remain largely unchanged, the language has been streamlined. The platform now broadly prohibits material that “misleads on matters of public importance or harms individuals,” replacing earlier specifics about fabricated endorsements or crisis scenarios. This shift hints at potential flexibility for AI-assisted branded content in the future.
Elsewhere, TikTok has reorganized its For You feed eligibility criteria, dispersing details across multiple guideline sections instead of consolidating them. The platform also tweaked its content moderation rationale, dropping “trustworthy” in favor of describing TikTok as a “safe, fun, and creative space”, a subtle but notable phrasing adjustment.
These refinements reflect TikTok’s effort to balance creator freedom with regulatory compliance as global scrutiny of social media platforms intensifies. Brands and influencers should review the updates to ensure their strategies align with the evolving standards.
(Source: TechCrunch)
