TikTok is following in the footsteps of Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, by adding a community notes feature they're calling 'Footnotes.'
Ever since X's Community Notes feature took over the microblogging platform, other social media sites have added their own versions.
YouTube became the first video-focused platform to add them back in August 2024, and Mark Zuckerberg revealed Instagram, Threads, and Facebook will get their notes-like feature sometime in 2025.
On Wednesday, April 16, TikTok became the latest site to announce its version of the feature, but it's called 'Footnotes.'
The Bytedance-owned company announced its new feature in a blog post and revealed that it's already being tested by some users.
"Footnotes will draw on the collective knowledge of the TikTok community by allowing people to add relevant information to content on our platform. To start, this feature will be tested in the U.S. for short-form videos," it reads.
"...Whether the content discusses a complex STEM-related concept, shares statistics that could misrepresent a topic, or updates about an ongoing event, there may be additional context that could help others better understand it. That's why we're building Footnotes."
TikTok says notes will use a ranking system similar to X that requires users to vote on how helpful the context is to the actual video.
The feature is rolling out to US users at the start, but you have to sign up and show interest in becoming a contributor to Footnotes.
TikTokers in the United States can apply to be a Footnotes contributor, but there are a few requirements you must meet to be eligible.
The account must be older than six months
The user must be 18 years or older
No recent history of violating TikTok's Community Guidelines
This feature launch comes as many users are left wondering about the future of TikTok in the United States. A law banning the app in the states went into effect on January 19, 2025, but President Trump signed an order to not enforce it for 75 days.
When that first order expired on April 5, Trump signed a second one to delay enforcement of the ban until June 2025, or until ByteDance agrees to a sale of TikTok.
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