TikTok has implemented a five-hashtag limit on posts, according to a Social Media Today report. The change represents the latest adjustment to hashtag policies across major social platforms as companies seek to reduce tag spam.

Users like @justgee92 have reported receiving in-app notifications about the new restriction. While TikTok hasn’t released an official statement explaining the change, a Reddit user claims the company indicated the limit “aims to improve the user experience” by reducing in-stream clutter, discouraging spam-style tag usage, and “improving the relevance of content discovery.”

Industry-Wide Shift in Hashtags

The five-hashtag cap aligns with similar moves across social media. Instagram has been experimenting with an identical limit, while Threads restricts posts to just one topic tag. LinkedIn has deprioritized hashtags for content discovery, and X recently eliminated hashtags from advertisements entirely.

The Elon Musk-owned platform announced in June that hashtags in ads are “no longer necessary” following integration of its AI recommendation system powered by xAI’s Grok. According to X, the change aims to “optimize user experience and ad performance” while helping eliminate spam posts that misuse popular tags.

Social platforms are increasingly using hashtag policies as part of broader content moderation strategies. TikTok recently suspended search results for #SkinnyTok worldwide after pressure from European regulators concerned about content promoting extreme weight loss. Users searching for this hashtag are now directed to mental health resources.

TikTok’s “Trends” dashboard remains available for identifying popular and rising hashtags to support content discovery under the new restrictions. The company has not confirmed whether the five-hashtag limit is being rolled out to all users globally or if it remains in testing with select accounts.

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