TikTok for Developers
Research Tools
TikTok supports independent research about our platform. Through our Research Tools, qualifying researchers in the U.S. and Europe can apply to study public data about TikTok content and accounts. We're working to provide increased access to Research Tools in the future.
What data is available?With the research tools, researchers can access public data on:
Accounts
This includes user profiles, followers and following lists, liked videos, pinned videos and reposted videos.
Content
For more information on the data returned via our Research Tools, check out the Codebook
Who can apply?
Applicants must fulfill the following criteria to qualify for access:
  • Be located in an eligible region and be affiliated with an eligible organization:
    • Academic institutions in the US, EEA, UK or Switzerland; or
    • Not-for-profit and/or independent research institution, organization, association, or body in the EU. We are currently beta testing this service with select researchers in the US, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
  • Have demonstrable experience and expertise in the research area specified in the application and in the processing and analysis of data
  • Be independent from commercial interests and be able to conduct research on a not-for-profit or non-commercial basis pursuant to a public-interest mission
  • Disclose the funding of the research
  • Provide a clearly defined research proposal and show the access requested is needed for, and proportionate to, the purpose of that research
  • Commit to fulfilling data security and confidentiality requirements (including taking steps to protect personal data)
  • Be able to provide evidence that the research went through an ethical research review
  • Be prepared to uphold the requirements set out in the TikTok Research Tools Terms of Service
How to get access to Research Tools?
01
Create research accountAfter ensuring your eligibility, create a TikTok for Developers account using your professional email address (for example, the email associated with your university or research organization).
02
Submit applicationComplete and submit the application form by providing details about you, your organization, and your research
03
Wait for approvalYou can typically expect to hear back from us within 4 weeks of submission. TikTok may take additional time when further information is requested.
Once approved, read the Getting Started guide to learn more about how to access our Research Tools.
Need to work with a team?
Once your application is approved, you can add collaborators to your research topic for shared access to datasets. Note: Please provide information about your collaborators in your application form. If your collaborators are from a different organization, make sure to submit separate applications for each organization. To learn more, check out How to manage an organization.
Applying as a Ph.D. candidate?
You will need to submit an endorsement letter from a professor or dissertation advisor. You can download a sample letter here.
Researching on behalf of a not-for-profit non academic org?
TikTok makes public data available for non-academic not-for-profit orgs within confined parameters. If your application for access is approved, we will provide you with information on using our Virtual Compute Environment, which is subject to strict security controls.

Once approved for access, you may login to our Virtual Compute Environment.

How to access research data
Once your application is approved, check out our Getting Started with Research Tools guide for step-by-step instructions on how to access research data.
View guide
Questions?
Check out our FAQ to learn more about Research Tools access
Explore how our Virtual Compute Environment works
Need additional help? Contact us via Support