Is U.S. TikTok censoring its users?

Written on 01/31/2026

U.S. TikTok users have reported ‘zero views’ glitches, restrictions, and even account bans they say are related to content about Palestine, criticism of Donald Trump and ICE, and mentions of Jeffrey Epstein’s name in private messages.A collage shows a smarphone with the TikTok logo on its screen, a Palestinian flag, and a screenshot of a TikTok DM with the word 'Epstein' not delivered.

Some TikTok users in the U.S. have reported ‘zero views’ glitches, restrictions, and even account bans they say are related to content about Palestine, criticism of Donald Trump and ICE, and even mentions of Jeffrey Epstein’s name in private messages.

Notably, it happened days after the social media platform closed on a deal to separate its U.S. operations from its global business. In the States, the app is now owned by TikTok USDS Joint Ventures LLC – a private majority company established to oversee TikTok in the country. Immediately following the handover, TikTok suffered outages, and many U.S. users reported difficulties signing in to the platform. Once users could sign in, they were asked to agree to new Terms of Service, which raised privacy concerns among some users.