It seems that the TikTok platform is about to get longer, as the app is now working on providing the ability to upload videos that last up to three minutes, three times the current limit of one minute. The new increase aims to give content creators more flexibility while filming and reduce the need for multiple-part posts. Three-minute videos have been tested for at least a month since December. They were easy to view while scrolling through videos from the top creators on the platform. Longer videos were previously limited to specific users, but they are now being rolled out to everyone across the platform in the coming weeks.
The platform did not mention how long videos may affect the recommendation algorithm, but it's worth considering potential similarities with YouTube. As the platform grew, YouTube made its algorithms biased towards retaining viewers, which meant longer videos. This is why almost everything on YouTube is now over 10 minutes long. TikTok may not follow the same approach, but if it turns out that long videos increase platform usage, we might see fewer short, quick clips.
The short video platform stated that it removed approximately 62 million videos during the first three months of the year for violating its guidelines, as it seeks to address concerns related to security and privacy. The company clarified in a report released through its site that these videos represent less than 1% of the total posted on the platform and fall under categories such as nudity, sexual content, bullying, and hateful behavior. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, reported that about 8.5 million removals occurred from the United States. The company has been issuing transparency reports since 2019, after its platform, which is popular among teenagers, came under scrutiny due to content and privacy issues that led some countries to ban the app.
The platform, which has enhanced security and privacy features to retain users, opened a content moderation center in its Los Angeles office last year to promote transparency.
