TikTok is rolling out its ‘Manage Topics’ feature globally, giving users unprecedented control over their For You page. This means you can now fine-tune the types of videos you see, influencing the algorithm to show you more or less of specific categories like sports, travel, humor, and dance.
Previously available only as a pilot program in the US, the feature allows you to adjust sliders for each of TikTok’s top ten categories. This doesn’t completely eliminate those categories, but it significantly impacts how frequently they appear in your feed. TikTok notes that it might take some time for changes to fully take effect after you adjust the settings.
Access this powerful new tool by navigating to your settings and selecting ‘Content preferences > Manage topics’. Alternatively, tap the share button on any video, then ‘Why this video > Adjust your For You > Manage Topics’. From there, simply slide to adjust the frequency of each topic and save your preferences.
Beyond ‘Manage Topics’, TikTok is enhancing its keyword filtering capabilities. Leveraging AI-powered “smart” filters, the platform now blocks not only the specific keywords you enter, but also related terms found in captions, hashtags, or descriptions. This significantly improves the accuracy of blocking unwanted content. TikTok will even display the additional keywords being blocked, and in the coming months, will allow for more granular control over these blocked keywords, increasing the limit from 100 to over 200 per user.
This global rollout of ‘Manage Topics’ and the improved keyword filtering represent a significant step towards giving users greater agency over their TikTok experience. It’s a move that should lead to a more personalized and enjoyable feed, tailored to each individual’s evolving interests.
