--- title: 'Warning: TikTok Is Stealing From Its Creators' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=f7PaSAnfFZA' video_id: 'f7PaSAnfFZA' date: 2026-08-04 duration_sec: 743 --- # Warning: TikTok Is Stealing From Its Creators > Source: [Warning: TikTok Is Stealing From Its Creators](https://youtube.com/watch?v=f7PaSAnfFZA) ## Summary The creator shares a personal experience of being demonetized on TikTok, citing security issues and arbitrary strikes, and argues that TikTok is a poor platform for content creators compared to YouTube. They advise creators to post across multiple platforms and not depend on TikTok. ### Key Points - **TikTok is one of the worst platforms for creators** [00:02] — The creator opens by warning that TikTok is one of the worst platforms for content creators, based on personal experience and that of others. - **Account demonetized on TikTok** [00:42] — The creator's TikTok account was demonetized, with the cited reason being 'security issues'. An appeal was filed but rejected. - **TikTok's exploitative behavior** [01:25] — TikTok allegedly takes advantage of creators by stopping video delivery, lowering RPM, cutting monetization, or demonetizing videos when they start earning well. - **Sensitive and arbitrary content labeling** [02:07] — TikTok sometimes mislabels videos, e.g., as 'guns and firearms content', even when unrelated, leading to strikes and loss of monetization. - **Friend's RPM decreases over time** [02:35] — A friend who posts podcast clips sees his RPM drop from 12-15 cents per 1000 views at the start of the month to lower values as he continues posting, suggesting TikTok limits earnings. - **TikTok limits how much money you can make** [03:47] — The creator concludes that TikTok effectively caps earnings per account, reducing RPM and demonetizing videos to control payouts. - **Creator Rewards program rejection** [04:14] — The creator shows a screenshot of the rejection citing 'fake engagement' and 'security issues', and notes the appeal was denied, with a suggestion to reapply after 30 days. - **January earnings on TikTok: $18** [04:58] — The creator earned $18 on TikTok in January, but is unsure if TikTok will pay, expressing distrust. - **Demonetization for arbitrary reasons** [05:28] — Videos are demonetized for reasons like 'non-original content' or 'low quality', even when the creator spent significant time on them. - **Even original content gets demonetized** [06:24] — A friend with a podcast and original content still gets videos demonetized as 'non-original', suggesting automated and unfair moderation. - **YouTube vs TikTok delivery** [06:51] — YouTube delivers videos based on good metrics (retention, engagement), while TikTok delivers arbitrarily, often limiting reach. - **YouTube monetization comparison** [07:47] — In January, the creator earned $18 on TikTok but on YouTube earned more daily, with first-month monetization already near $600. - **Advice: post everywhere, don't depend on TikTok** [08:41] — The creator advises posting on multiple platforms (Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Quai) and not relying on TikTok due to its exploitative practices. - **TikTok is a scam in the long term** [09:31] — Despite short-term view spikes, TikTok is a scam long-term; YouTube is superior for sustainable monetization. - **Repurpose content across platforms** [09:46] — Creators should repurpose YouTube Shorts to TikTok with minimal extra effort (5 minutes) to diversify reach. - **TikTok's poor conversion rate** [10:00] — TikTok's payout conversion is terrible; the creator received R$5.50 when the dollar was around R$6, indicating poor exchange rates. ### Conclusion TikTok is exploitative and unreliable for creators, often demonetizing accounts and limiting earnings. The creator recommends posting across multiple platforms and prioritizing YouTube for sustainable monetization. ## Transcript Today I'm going to vent, give a warning to those thinking about creating content for this social network. And let me give you this heads-up: social network. And let me give you this heads-up: TikTok, in my opinion, is one of the worst platforms for content creators. Okay, there's a lot specific script. I'm going to open my heart here, mainly regarding not just my experience, but also the experiences of several people I know and also the content of many people whose YouTube content I've consumed. Okay, so the first thing I'm going to talk about is this: I just had my account demonetized on TikTok. It was demonetized, I think, on Wednesday. I sent an appeal on Wednesday itself, and they responded today saying they won't monetize it, and the problem they cited this time was security issues. proper explanation there, but that 's not the point here. Some people might come here and say, "Oh, it's because you edit podcasts." Okay, not necessarily. I think if it were demonetization for editing... Podcasts could be considered unoriginal content, right? But that wasn't the case this had the same security problem, and whatever, you know? That's basically what TikTok does. It takes advantage of you. It's it sees that you're going to make a lot of money from it, it either stops lot of money from it, it either stops delivering your videos, or it lowers your delivering your videos, or it lowers your RPM, or it cuts your monetization, or it demonetizes your video. You have a video that, I don't know, has 50 views, and after a while, it goes and gives you some kind of strike, man. It gives you some kind of strike on your video just so you lose monetization on that video, and it keeps delivering. It's like TikTok is super sensitive, okay? Not necessarily just to money, but it could also be to the type of content. Sometimes I post a video there and it's labeled as "...guns and firearms content," like it's related to that, but it's not. Basically, it just likes to steal content. Well, not the content itself, but people's time. But I think it... It serves this purpose, right? Besides stealing the time of content creators, it also steals the time of content consumers. But this isn't by chance. In this case, I have a friend who has a podcast, and look what happens to him. Look how TikTok works: he has a podcast, so he posts podcast clips from his own podcast. Right? Original content because the content is his. Regardless of whether it's a clip or not, you know what happens? His RPM at the beginning of the month His RPM at the beginning of the month is more or less 12 cents per 1000 views, which is a lie, that's not how it works. TikTok calculates more or less 50% of your views, so if you get 1000 views, it's as if 500 views are monetized. Okay, so receive for every 1000 views, it's as if it were five. Okay, divide by two. But going back to my friend's case, he has clips from his own podcast, and at the beginning of the month his RPM is higher, like 12. "15 his RPM is higher, like 12. "15 cents is what TikTok pays, right? It's closed over time. He keeps posting videos and that RPM decreases, that's how it is. me that, I thought, 'Man, it's possible that this happens,' and it happens with TikTok. It's basically like TikTok limits how much money you can make limits how much money you can make with that account. Okay, I'm not going to go into too much detail about this account here because, well, I even have some screenshots because, well, I even have some screenshots here, and I think it's... oops, no, here, look, Creator Rewards program. Security issue. Trust, security, and protection not allow activities that could harm our platform, such as fake engagement to artificially increase popularity with soda. Oh, whatever, fine. So I went there, no, exposed video here of my videos, and then I sent this dispute here, if you want to pause and read it, but no, it didn't about TikTok's monetization. If I did care, I would think about making a bigger dispute, I don't know, then I..." I said, "Hey chat, help me out here. I'm too n't work. Then today I received the email, "We analyzed your appeal and your Rewards program. Reapply for monetization again, I think in March, right? After 30 days or something like that." And okay, I think that's the only good thing, right? I thought he was going to steal my money this time, but I do n't think so. Here's how much I made this month, right? In January, from January 1st to January 30th, it was $18. I think he'll pay me. If he doesn't pay me, I'll let you know. But the way TikTok is, man, I don't think he'll pay me, but who knows? He didn't just let's go back here, okay? So, this could really most annoying about TikTok is that I say he's a little thief, and it's not just me. It's that you make the videos there. A handsome guy is there getting views, getting a while, they go and demonetize that video of yours. It could be for non- original content, it could be for low quality. I had a video I made, like, I spent way more time making it than editing it. It was a video I really spent time on, and they marked it as low quality. I was like, "Damn, man, the video I spent the most time on, you marked it as low quality? How is that possible?" And besides strikes, you lose monetization. And if you're wondering, no, I didn't get monetization. It was out of nowhere, TikTok looked at my account and demonetized it. Speaking of my friend's case, he has a podcast, and sometimes you have an account where you really appear and you make truly original content, and even then TikTok goes and demonetizes some of your videos saying it 's non-original content. I know it 's not one person who does that, okay? I know it's not... Someone who watches your video and says, "This is the original Contor, it's a robot, everything here is a robot," and so on, I think they understand robot works, if it's missing some screws, or I think it works more with the monetization issue, like, "This channel is going to make a lot of money, so let's reduce its reach." That's what happens most often, you know? On YouTube it's different, I like YouTube much more because if you have a really good video and you've been posting for a while, it will deliver your video. On TikTok, no, on TikTok it delivers the video it wants, okay? I know that on YouTube, in the beginning, it will freeze, like with the shorts, right? It can freeze the views of your video at 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 and not deliver anymore. But that happens at the realize if you really post a video where you have good metrics, which is the people who stay on the video, right? The shorts appeared for the person and they continued watching. The video and retention time, if you have those two metrics combined, right? And lots of comments, likes, shares, and so on, YouTube will TikTok, right? Because TikTok really, out of nowhere, like 1 million views, 5 million views, YouTube you'll reach 1 million views, 5 million, 10 million views, but it will take time. So I showed the monetization here, right, in this month of January on TikTok, and it was $8, right? If I receive that money, right? I hope I receive it, but on YouTube in the same month, that's what I monetize every day. I made a video about 80 days posting on TikTok and also 100 days posting on YouTube. Watch those two videos and you'll see this account here that was demonetized on TikTok. But I did it here on TikTok because TikTok really limits, it views I can get here with... My YouTube account, man, in its first month of monetization, which was in January, already has almost 0. I think it's 600. By the end of the month, until the 31st, counting all the days, it'll be around 0. So, what's my advice to you guys? Go post on TikTok, especially if you follow the viral method we teach at the University of Cuts. If you do CTE, post on Facebook, post on TikTok, post on YouTube, post on Quai, post on all social media. Okay, but don't depend on the platforms, and TikTok because TikTok will do this to you. I've seen several people talking about TikTok stealing money, it's a little thief. Okay, I does that. There are some videos we post that aren't for then it demonetizes them, but there are cases of people who post really good, original content that doesn't reach their audience. It doesn't violate any of TikTok's guidelines, but even so, he goes there and steals monetization, so my advice here would be to post on various social media platforms. I'm only posting on TikTok and YouTube, and I guarantee that YouTube is much better, it's superior to TikTok many, many, many times over. I know TikTok might seem very seductive, right, because it gives you views faster, but in the short term it might seem good, but in the long term, forget it, man, TikTok is a scam. So, there because if you made a video for YouTube, let's put YouTube shorts, you just post it on TikTok. You spend, I don't know, 5 minutes more to do that, there's no way around it, right? I've already made, I don't know, about 300 here with this TikTok account, I'm around there, I made at least 3,300, right? At least it pays, it's cool to pay, even with Pix, their conversion rate is garbage, their conversion rate is crap, garbage. I remember January 15th, I don't know when the dollar was, it must have been six something, but it seemed like I received R$5.50, you know? It's like the dollar was R$6, I received R$50, it was kind of terrible. Okay, right? It's not that I'm making this video have nothing to complain about, okay? I'm not just someone who keeps complaining, complaining, you that TikTok is annoying. Oh, if you have any many people who have TikTok accounts and have had problems with TikTok see, there are many people who complain about TikTok, okay? Not just me, TikTok, okay? Not just me, but I am complaining, first piece of advice: create accounts understand more about how I produce this content, how I make my money, join the University of Cords, which is... The first link is in the description, and if you're making money online, you know what to do: contact Bora Pra Prática so you can pay your taxes correctly. To avoid through Bora Pra Prática, you'll get the first two months free, and also the free. If you don't have a business yet, you're receiving money. I was talking to a guy in the Univers dos Cortes group, and he was already earning R$ 5,000, R$6,000, R$4,000 a month, and he did n't even have a MEI (individual micro-entrepreneur) registration. He was a digital micro-entrepreneur, an individual, in this case. So, as I said, contact ADBI because this could cause you problems later on. You'll have to screwed because you'll spend a lot of money just on taxes. So, comments what you think about TikTok. My TikTok is lame, here, I hope you liked it and I'll see you in the next video. Bye, bye. Oh, there's where I teach for free how to make cuts that monetize. You monetize on TikTok? I can't, I don't monetize. You monetized, I made some money now, demonetized, but on YouTube it's monetized.