[Tiktok. Photo Credit to Pixabay]

In January 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump postponed the enforcement of a law targeting TikTok’s ownership, extending negotiations over whether the platform should separate from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face restrictions in the United States.

This decision has intensified the ongoing global debate over social media regulation, online safety, and national security.

Countries including Australia and several European nations have also explored stricter limitations on children’s access to platforms such as TikTok.

Many governments are considering age limits between 14 and 16 years old due to concerns about mental health, data privacy, and exposure to harmful online content. 

In the United States, lawmakers have argued that TikTok’s connection to ByteDance could allow sensitive user data to be accessed by the Chinese government.

Simultaneously, heightened geopolitical tensions between the United States and China have complicated discussions surrounding TikTok’s future operations and possible sale.

Legal challenges from TikTok and ByteDance have also delayed the implementation of restrictions.

The timeline where Tiktok encountered issues regarding policy change and law stage in 2025-2026 January, which means that rules were set but not finalized, but the actual ban was planned to be discussed in April 2026 again.

The points of what Tiktok has changed entail several changes in major policies.

The major changes focused on four main areas, live streaming eligibility, commercial content disclosure, AI-generated content, and off-platform.

The first one is about the platform requiring specific criteria for the creators before creators can access some features.

The second issue revolves around commercial content disclosure, which should become absolutely mandatory for all posts.

For example, if a creator uses a product that got advertisements from a company, the creator should show the fact that it is being advertised.

Tiktok has also introduced a new restriction on AI usage as AI-generated products and deepfake videos got viral and the potential detrimental impacts have been warned.

Tiktok defines commercial content as any video that promotes a brand or product as well as service or business.

Tiktok considers content commercial when there is a clear connection between the creator and a brand.

Rules for AI-generated and deepfake videos include broad usages of AI, as Tiktok prohibits AI-generated content that may mislead viewers or spread misinformation.

From these restrictions and instructions of Tiktok content in 2025 - 2026, Tiktok has attempted to address the mental issue regarding social media problems.

All of these updates aim for significantly better application as the new rules were designed to make Tiktok a stronger platform.