TikTok revealed in February that it was testing a feature that would allow you to reset the recommendations that appear on your For You page. The ByteDance-owned app is now making this “refresh” option available to all users, allowing you to remove video recommendations that no longer feel relevant. If you enable it, the For You feed will appear as if you’ve only recently signed up for an account, and TikTok’s algorithm will begin surfacing content based on your more recent app interactions.
To reset your feed, navigate to TikTok’s Settings and Privacy menu, then scroll down to Content preferences. There’s a new option there that says “Refresh your For You feed.” Take note that this is all the new feature does — it will not change your settings or unfollow accounts you’ve previously followed.
TikTok has updated its efforts to reduce repetitive patterns of content that could be harmful, in addition to the new “refresh” feature. The app has been doing this for a long time, limiting videos that don’t exactly violate its policies but may have an impact on your viewing experience. Videos depicting sadness or extreme dieting and exercise are examples. If its systems detect a recurring theme in a set of videos, it actively replaces some of them with videos about a different topic. This can help to limit your exposure to content that may contain certain triggers.
These are only the most recent updates. TikTok has rolled out in an effort to improve its algorithm, which has been the subject of investigations and debate over whether the app should be banned. TikTok’s detractors even label its user experience (as enabled by its algorithm) as manipulative, with the goal of keeping you glued to the app.
It’s no secret that the service has been under intense scrutiny in recent years, so it’s not surprising that TikTok has been working to demystify its algorithm and give you more control over the content you see. They will almost certainly provide TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew with more positive talking points when he tries to persuade authorities to view the app favourably on March 23rd. Chew is scheduled to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on that day, where he will likely discuss the app’s privacy and data security, as well as its impact on children and ties to China.
