How to Stop Seeing Certain Videos on TikTok

TikTok’s For You Page is designed to adapt to your interests based on what you watch, skip and interact with. When the algorithm misinterprets your behavior, it may start showing videos you find irrelevant, repetitive or unwanted. Before you can effectively remove those categories from your feed, it is important to understand why they appear in the first place. TikTok’s system processes even the smallest actions and turns them into preference signals, so recognizing how this mechanism works makes it easier to reset or correct your recommendations.

Why You Keep Seeing Videos You Don’t Want on TikTok

TikTok keeps showing you certain videos because the platform uses a behavior-driven recommendation system. The app evaluates how you interact with every video and then builds patterns that predict what you might want to see next. Even short watch time on a genre or accidental interactions can convince the system that you are interested, which leads to a wave of similar content. The algorithm is constantly learning, so if you allow a category to repeat without properly signaling disinterest, TikTok quickly reinforces the assumption that you want more of that style or topic.

How TikTok Identifies Your Viewing Interests

TikTok identifies your interests by analyzing your watch behavior, the creators you interact with and the videos you stay on for more than a few seconds. The algorithm measures your viewing patterns frame by frame, looking at whether you actively watch a video to completion, rewatch parts of it or slow down during specific scenes. These micro signals create interest clusters that define what appears on your For You Page.

TikTok also evaluates your activity outside the main feed. Searches, likes, profile visits, comment activity and even the videos you quickly scroll past all feed into the system. When you engage with a certain theme repeatedly, intentionally or not, it becomes a stored preference. The app then uses that preference to group you with similar users, pushing the same category of videos to everyone inside that cluster. This is why certain trends, jokes or genres seem to follow you around the app.

Some actions that strengthen interest signals include:

• Watching a video to the end
• Interacting with creators from the same topic repeatedly
• Pausing or rewatching specific content segments

How Interaction Signals Reinforce Unwanted Content

TikTok does not rely solely on what you enjoy, but also on how you behave when you dislike something. If you scroll too slowly past a type of video, the system may mistake hesitation for mild interest. Even muting a video or lingering on comments can be misinterpreted as engagement. These signals create reinforcement loops, meaning that once TikTok believes you are interested in a subject, it continues feeding similar content until you actively correct the pattern.

The algorithm also studies indirect behaviors. For example, if you frequently interact with creators who are part of a certain niche, their associated content categories may start appearing even if you never liked them directly. The system also cross references your watch history with similar users, predicting that you may enjoy what others with matching patterns have engaged with. Without explicit negative signals, these assumptions hold and the unwanted category remains in rotation.

Interaction habits that unintentionally reinforce unwanted videos include:

• Letting a disliked video play longer than necessary
• Reading comments on videos you do not actually want to see
• Returning to videos out of curiosity, even if you dislike the category

How to Tell TikTok You’re Not Interested in Certain Content

TikTok gives you several built in tools to signal that you do not want to see a specific type of video. These tools help the algorithm understand your preferences more accurately by sending a direct negative signal instead of relying only on passive behavior. When you consistently use these options, TikTok quickly adjusts what appears on your For You Page and begins reducing the categories you no longer want. This process works best when you intentionally reinforce your preference changes with repeated actions so the system can update your interest profile.

Use the “Not Interested” Tool Properly

The “Not Interested” option is the most direct way to tell TikTok that you no longer want to see a specific type of content. When you tap and hold a video and choose this option, TikTok receives a clear negative signal that helps the algorithm understand which topics, sounds or creators should be deprioritized in your feed. This method is far more precise than simply scrolling past a video, which is why it plays a significant role in shaping your future recommendations.

To get the best results, use this tool consistently rather than occasionally. TikTok reacts to repeated behavior, so marking multiple unwanted videos creates a stronger pattern the algorithm can follow. It is also important to avoid interacting with related posts, because small actions like pausing or rewatching can contradict your preference signals and delay the cleanup of your feed.

Using the “Not Interested” tool consistently also helps stabilize your feed and can create a healthier recommendation cycle over time, which may lead to more accurate TikTok views that reflect what you actually enjoy watching.

Remove Similar Videos From Your FYP Faster

TikTok often continues recommending related videos even after you mark one as “Not Interested,” because the algorithm still tests whether the overall category might appeal to you. To stop this cycle, you need to remove similar videos proactively and reinforce your negative signals through deliberate browsing behavior. When a cluster of unwanted content appears, quickly swiping past each one helps prevent TikTok from assuming you paused out of curiosity.

Another effective method is cleaning up your watch behavior. If you accidentally let a video you dislike play too long, TikTok may store that as a positive signal. Correcting this by marking several similar videos as unwanted helps rewrite your preference pattern. Over time, TikTok adjusts the entire cluster and removes the unwanted category from your feed.

Actions that speed up FYP cleanup include:

• Quickly swiping away from related videos
• Marking several similar posts as “Not Interested”
• Avoiding comments, pauses or replays on unwanted content

How to Block or Restrict Specific Creators

If the unwanted videos you see come from the same creators, blocking or restricting them is one of the fastest ways to clean up your For You Page. TikTok immediately removes their content from your recommendations once they are blocked, and restriction tools further limit how often they can appear based on shared engagement or comment activity.

Block Accounts You Don’t Want to See

Blocking a creator fully removes their videos from your FYP and prevents you from seeing their content again, even if the algorithm thinks you have similar interests. To block someone, open their profile, tap the options menu and choose Block. This action also stops their sounds, trends or associated categories from being pushed to you. Blocking is especially effective when a creator posts frequently in the category you want to avoid.

Restrict Comments, Recommendations and Visibility

Restriction tools limit how TikTok connects you with certain creators without requiring a full block. By adjusting comment and visibility settings, you reduce the interaction pathways that cause the algorithm to associate you with them. Restricting also prevents their content from slipping into your recommendations through shared engagement or mutual interactions.

To apply restrictions, open Settings, go to Privacy and adjust options like filtered comments, limited interactions and who can recommend your account. These settings help break algorithmic links that push specific creators back into your feed.

How to Filter Keywords, Sounds or Hashtags You Don’t Want to See

TikTok allows you to reduce unwanted content by filtering specific words, sounds or hashtags that trigger certain types of videos. When you apply these filters, the algorithm automatically avoids showing anything that matches those terms, which helps refine your feed much faster. This method is especially useful for blocking entire topics, trends or formats you do not want to engage with anymore.

Apply Keyword Filters in TikTok Settings

TikTok’s keyword filtering tool lets you hide videos containing specific phrases in captions, sounds or hashtags. By adding terms directly to your filter list, the app removes content tied to those topics before it reaches your For You Page. This is one of the most efficient ways to avoid entire categories of videos without manually marking each one.

To use the feature, open Settings, go to Content Preferences and select Filter Keywords. Add the words or hashtags associated with the content you no longer want to see. Once saved, TikTok automatically blocks anything matching your list.

Reduce Exposure by Adjusting Your Watch and Search Behavior

Your watch habits strongly influence what TikTok sends to your feed. If you occasionally linger on videos you dislike or search topics out of curiosity, the algorithm may assume you enjoy them. Adjusting your behavior helps reduce these signals so unwanted categories disappear faster.

To correct your preferences, scroll past unwanted content quickly, avoid searching topics you do not want repeated and stay engaged only with videos you actually prefer. These small actions reduce the reinforcement loops that push unwanted videos back into your recommendations.

How to Use Reporting Options to Clean Up Your Feed

Reporting is a stronger content control tool than simply marking something as “Not Interested.” When you report a video, TikTok treats it as a clear negative signal and re-evaluates whether similar content should continue appearing on your feed. This process helps clean up unwanted categories more aggressively, especially if the videos violate guidelines or contain sensitive themes you do not want to see.

When Reporting Helps Remove Unwanted Categories

Reporting is most effective when the videos you want to avoid fall under specific topics that TikTok often pushes aggressively. By reporting several videos from the same category, you force the algorithm to reconsider whether that content is appropriate for your feed. Even if the video does not violate rules, the report still functions as a high priority signal that you do not want that type of content recommended.

Situations where reporting works well:

• Videos with misleading or inappropriate content
• Repeated content from the same unwanted trend
• Categories that keep returning despite using “Not Interested”

What Happens After You Report a Video

Once you report a video, TikTok reviews it and applies restrictions based on the report type. Even if the video is not removed, your personal preferences update immediately in the recommendation system. This causes similar videos to appear less frequently or disappear completely if you reinforce the action by reporting more than one from the same theme.

A useful breakdown of what reporting triggers in TikTok’s system:

Report Action	What TikTok Does	Effect on Your Feed
Reporting a guideline violation	Sends video for review	Strong reduction of similar content
Reporting unwanted or inappropriate themes	Updates preference signals	Fewer videos from that content category
Reporting multiple videos from the same trend	Flags behavioral pattern	Algorithm stops pushing that trend entirely

How to Retrain or Reset Your TikTok For You Page

If your For You Page keeps showing categories you dislike, retraining the algorithm is the most effective long term fix. Resetting your preferences helps TikTok rebuild an interest profile that reflects what you actually want to see instead of what the system previously assumed. This process works best when you combine data clearing with intentional engagement, because TikTok immediately responds to fresh viewing patterns and begins reorganizing your feed.

Clear Watch History and Search Data

Clearing your watch history and search data removes the strongest indicators TikTok uses to guess your interests. When this data remains intact, the algorithm continues relying on old patterns and may keep recommending videos from categories you no longer enjoy. Deleting these records resets the baseline TikTok uses when evaluating your next interactions.

To clear this data, open Settings, select Privacy and navigate to the Watch History and Search History sections. Remove everything stored there. This action wipes the historical signals attached to your account and gives the algorithm a clean slate, allowing it to interpret your preferences more accurately going forward.

Actively Rebuild New Interest Signals

After clearing old data, TikTok needs fresh activity to understand what you do want to see. Actively engaging with your preferred content speeds up the retraining process and shapes your new recommendation profile. Watching full videos, liking content from specific creators and searching for topics you genuinely enjoy all help TikTok form updated interest clusters.

To strengthen these new signals, focus your activity on a narrow range of topics at first. Avoid interacting with anything outside the categories you want on your feed, since even small actions can mislead the algorithm. Within a few days, your For You Page will begin shifting toward your updated preferences, reducing unwanted content and improving your overall browsing experience.

Final Thoughts

Stopping unwanted videos on TikTok requires a mix of direct negative signals, privacy adjustments and algorithm retraining. By using tools like Not Interested, reporting unwanted categories, blocking creators and filtering keywords, you guide the platform toward a more personalized feed. Clearing your data and rebuilding new interest patterns ensures the algorithm stays aligned with what you actually enjoy watching. With consistent actions, you can shape your For You Page into a healthier and more relevant viewing experience.