Digital democracy|Digital privacy
Nearly half of US TikTok users worry about their privacy
The potential privacy issues stemming from TikTok’s Chinese ownership have been a hot topic within the US government¹. Montana has already announced a state-wide TikTok ban starting in 2024². Surfshark conducted a study on American TikTok users to find out how different generations view these potential privacy issues and how many people have taken action to safeguard their privacy on the app. 47% of surveyed American TikTok users claimed to be concerned about their personal data being collected by TikTok. And 50% of respondents have adjusted their privacy settings to limit data collection.
Key insights
- Millennial users are the most concerned about their privacy on TikTok - 56% claimed to be concerned. They’re also the generation most likely to take action to improve their privacy on the app - 61% of millennial respondents claimed to have adjusted their TikTok privacy settings to limit data collection. They were the only group in which more than half of the respondents agreed or partially agreed with both statements.
- Gen Z stands out as the group least concerned about their data being collected by TikTok, with only 39% expressing concern. Gen X is only slightly more concerned at 40%. Both of these generations exhibit lower levels of privacy concern compared to the US average. However, the high level of concern expressed by millennials bumps up the overall average, making it as high as 47%.
- Gen Z and Gen X show a similar inclination when adjusting their TikTok privacy settings, with approximately 41% of respondents from each generation claiming to have done so. However, Gen Z is slightly more likely to adjust their privacy settings than Gen X.
- Among the users who expressed concerns about their privacy on TikTok, 16% have not adjusted their privacy settings to limit data collection. This observation hints at a potential knowledge gap regarding users' rights and the available options for adjusting privacy settings.
Methodology and sources
We conducted a survey of 1000 American TikTok users, focusing on people’s attitudes on TikTok. The survey ran between April 27th and May 3rd, 2023. 27% of our sample was made up of respondents from Generation Z (people aged between 11 and 26)³, 46% were millennials (people aged between 27 and 42), 23% were from Generation X (people aged between 43 and 58), and 4% were from the “Other” generation group (people aged 59 and up). We analyzed people’s responses across generations, with a focus on the three largest groups - Gen Z, millennials and Gen X.
For the complete research material behind this study, visit here.
