Your For You page isn’t psychic—it’s just powered by a very observant algorithm.

TikTok figures out what to show you based on how you use the app, what kind of content you watch, and a few basic settings on your account.

Your activity on TikTok

Every tap, like, share, and scroll gives TikTok a signal.

The more you engage with certain types of videos—by watching them fully, saving them, or following the creator—the more the algorithm sends you similar stuff.

If you skip or mark videos as “Not Interested,” you’ll see less of that vibe. Even your comments, ad interactions, and the videos you post shape your feed.

This article is part of a series:

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TikTok Algorithm in 2025: Here’s How to Hack the Algorithm

TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program: How It Works (And How to Actually Get Paid)

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What’s in the video itself

TikTok also looks at what’s inside the videos. Captions, hashtags, trending sounds, effects, and even the video length all help it decide what to recommend.

So if you’re watching a lot of ASMR or travel edits, it’s taking notes.

Device and account settings

Things like your language, country, and phone type play a smaller role, but they still matter.

These settings help the app tailor content to where you are and what might perform best on your device.

Want a TikTok reset?

You can refresh your For You page anytime in Settings & privacy > Content preferences > Refresh your For You feed.

You’ll get a clean slate of trending videos.

You can also long-press on a video and tap Not interested, or filter out keywords and hashtags to keep your feed in check.