TikTok will allow users to reset the ‘For You’ feed, bring ‘strikes’ for policy violators

TikTok is reportedly working on a way for users to reset their ‘For You’ page, a key element in the app’s user experience. According to a report in The Verge, quoting company spokesperson Jamie Favazza, the short video platform is testing the new ‘Refresh’ button that will reset users’ For You feed.
The For You feed is TikTok’s main section which shows users new content. Over time, this feed starts showing custom recommendations based on the user’s previous activity. However, there may be instances where the algorithm doesn’t show enough relevant content. In that case, the Refresh option can be used to undo the existing custom feed and let you start from scratch.

Refresh button will be available to limited users for now
The social media giant said that the Refresh button will roll out in the coming days for a small group of users during the testing phase. This option will be available in the account settings and enable the app to deliver “new, diversified content not based on previous activity or interactions” to the user.
Moreover, the company underlined that besides a ‘refreshed’ feed, this button would also provide vulnerable users a way out of their current For You experience.
A YouTube-like strike system is also in testing
Apart from the changes to its feed, TikTok is also planning to introduce a ‘strike system’ similar to YouTube to take action against policy violators.

Until now, the app has been penalising offenders with temporary suspensions without taking into account their previous offenses. This has led to an increase in the number of repeat offenders on the platform. The company’s global head of product privacy Julie de Bailliencourt said, “Repeat violators tend to follow a pattern – our analysis has found that almost 90% violate using the same feature consistently, and over 75% violate the same policy category repeatedly.”
However, with the new strike system, the China-based company looks to deal with such habitual offenders. The company has confirmed that upon reaching a certain number of violations over time, a user will be banned from the app. Importantly, this number or threshold will be different for specific types of violations, such as spam and hateful content.