TikTok launches ‘manage topics’ feature to let users personalise video feeds

TikTok has introduced a new feature called ‘Manage Topics’, allowing users greater control over the kinds of videos they see on their For You feed.

The update is designed to make the popular short-video platform more personalised, instead of relying on the algorithm, giving users the ability to fine-tune how often they encounter videos related to specific interests such as sports, travel, humour, dance, and more.

Users can access the Manage Topics feature in two simple ways:

Through the app’s Settings menu by navigating to Content Preferences and then clicking Manage Topics.

Another way is by directly from any video in the For You feed. Tap the Share button, selecting Why this video? Then click Adjust your For You, then click Manage Topics.

Once you are inside the feature, you will see a list of popular topics represented with sliders.

By moving these sliders, users can indicate whether they want to see more or less content related to each category.

For example, sliding “Dance” up means the algorithm will recommend more dance videos, while sliding it down reduces their frequency.

After adjusting the sliders, users simply hit Save to apply the preferences.

TikTok’s For You page algorithm traditionally learns from user behaviour such as video likes, shares, and watch time to tailor content.

However, users often have little direct control over the specific types of content they encounter.

This new feature under the Manage Topics feature fills this gap by allowing a more deliberate and transparent way to customise the feed.

TikTok has begun rolling out Manage Topics globally, and it should be available to all users in the coming weeks. However, some users in Kenya can already access the feature.