The platform prompts for your date of birth immediately after selecting your registration method. This field cannot be changed casually through basic profile settings later. You must be at least 13 years old to hold an account, while features like direct messaging, live gifts, and virtual monetizations strictly require proof of age at 16 and 18 years old, respectively. Inputting an arbitrary or inaccurate birth date often results in severe age-gate lockouts that require official government ID scans to overturn.
Next comes username selection. Your display name is the outward-facing label visible on videos, which can be modified every 7 days. Your actual username, the handle preceded by an "@", serves as your unique platform URL. TikTok limits username adjustments to once every 30 days. Clean handles without extraneous strings of numbers reduce algorithmic impersonation flags, particularly when moving toward public verification down the road.
