You can change your birthday in TikTok's account settings, but the platform limits how often you can make the change

To change your birthday on TikTok, open the app and tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner. Select the three horizontal lines (menu icon) at the top right, then tap "Settings and privacy." Choose "Account," then "Personal information," and you'll see your current birthday listed. Tap on the birthday field to edit it, enter your new date, and save the change.

TikTok restricts birthday changes to once every 30 days. If you've recently changed your birthday, you'll see a message telling you when you can change it again. This limit exists partly to prevent account abuse and partly because your birthday connects to age-based content restrictions — TikTok uses it to determine what videos you can see and whether certain features are available to you.

The birthday you enter must make you at least 13 years old to use TikTok. If you enter a date that would make you younger than 13, the app will reject the change. If your account was created with a birthday that made you under 13, TikTok may restrict your account or ask you to verify your age through other means.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to your profile, tap the menu icon, select "Settings and privacy," then "Account," then "Personal information" to find your birthday field.
  • You can only change your birthday once every 30 days, so TikTok will tell you the exact date you can change it again if you've recently updated it.
  • Your birthday must make you at least 13 years old, or TikTok will reject the change and may restrict your account.
  • TikTok uses your birthday to control which content you can view and which features you can access, so changing it affects what the app shows you.

Why TikTok asks for your birthday in the first place

TikTok collects your birthday to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a U.S. federal law that restricts how apps can collect data from users under 13. Even if you're outside the United States, TikTok applies this rule globally because it's simpler than checking your location every time you use the app.

Beyond legal requirements, TikTok uses your age to decide what content appears in your feed. Videos marked as "not for younger users" won't show to accounts registered as under 18. Some features — like the ability to go live, send direct messages, or use certain filters — are also locked behind age gates. If you change your birthday to a younger age, you may suddenly lose access to features you were using before.

What happens if you enter the wrong birthday by accident

If you entered your birthday incorrectly when you first created your account, you can fix it using the same steps: profile icon, menu, "Settings and privacy," "Account," "Personal information." The 30-day limit applies to corrections too, so if you've changed your birthday recently, you'll have to wait before making another change.

If you're locked out of changing your birthday because you've hit the 30-day limit, there's no way to bypass it through the app itself. You have to wait until the 30 days have passed. If your birthday is genuinely wrong and you need to change it urgently — for example, because it's affecting your access to features — you can contact TikTok's support team through the app. Go to "Settings and privacy," scroll down to "Help," and select "Report a problem." Explain the situation, and TikTok may manually override the 30-day restriction, though there's no may provide.

How changing your birthday affects your account and content

When you change your birthday to an older age, TikTok may immediately unlock features and content that were previously restricted. You might suddenly see videos in your For You page that weren't there before, and features like live streaming or messaging may become available.

If you change your birthday to a younger age, the opposite happens. TikTok will restrict your account, hide age-gated content, and disable features like direct messaging or going live. If you've been using those features regularly, losing them can be disruptive. The app doesn't warn you about these changes before you save a new birthday, so think through the consequences before you update it.

Your birthday is also tied to your account's safety settings. Accounts registered as under 18 have stricter default privacy controls — for example, your account may be set to private by default, and you may not be able to receive messages from strangers. Changing your birthday to 18 or older will loosen these restrictions unless you manually adjust your privacy settings afterward.

If you can't find the birthday field in settings

On older versions of TikTok, the birthday field was sometimes buried in different menus or labeled differently. If you're using an outdated version of the app, update TikTok from your device's app store (Apple App Store or Google Play Store) and try again. The steps above apply to the current version as of 2024.

If you've updated the app and still can't find the birthday field, try logging out and logging back in. Sometimes cached data causes menu options to disappear. Close the app completely (not just minimize it), then reopen it and sign in again.

If the birthday field is still missing after updating and signing back in, your account may have a restriction placed on it. This sometimes happens if TikTok detected unusual activity or if your account was flagged during a security review. Contact TikTok support through the "Report a problem" option in "Help" and explain that you can't access your birthday settings.

Changing your birthday on TikTok versus other platforms

TikTok's 30-day limit is stricter than most other social media platforms. Instagram and Facebook allow you to change your birthday once per year, and YouTube doesn't restrict birthday changes at all. Snapchat also limits changes but uses a different time window depending on your account age.

The reason for TikTok's stricter limit is partly because the platform has faced more scrutiny from regulators about how it handles younger users' data. The 30-day restriction makes it harder for someone to repeatedly change their age to bypass content filters or access features they shouldn't have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my birthday more than once every 30 days?

No. TikTok enforces a strict 30-day waiting period between birthday changes. If you try to change it before 30 days have passed, the app will show you the exact date when you can make the next change. Contacting support may help if your birthday is genuinely incorrect and affecting your account, but there's no may provide way to bypass the limit.

What happens if I change my birthday to make myself older?

Changing your birthday to an older age unlocks age-restricted content and features like live streaming and direct messaging. TikTok will update your feed to show videos that were previously hidden, and your privacy settings may automatically loosen unless you adjust them manually.

Will changing my birthday affect my watch history or saved videos?

Your watch history and saved videos stay the same when you change your birthday. However, the content TikTok recommends to you in your For You page may change based on your new age group, so you might see different videos going forward.

Can I delete my birthday from TikTok instead of changing it?

No. TikTok requires a birthday on every account. You cannot leave the field blank or remove it entirely. You must enter a valid date to use the platform.

What if I don't remember my real birthday and need to update it?

If you entered a fake birthday when you created your account and can't remember what you used, you'll need to contact TikTok support. Go to "Settings and privacy," then "Help," then "Report a problem," and explain that you need to correct your birthday. Support may ask you to verify your identity before making the change.