{"id":40637,"date":"2025-12-23T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/?p=40637"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:52:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T17:52:38","slug":"gardening-penjamins-and-how-tiktok-censorship-is-changing-our-vocabulary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/gardening-penjamins-and-how-tiktok-censorship-is-changing-our-vocabulary\/","title":{"rendered":"Gardening, Penjamins, and How TikTok is Changing Our Vocabulary"},"content":{"rendered":"

TikTok has some of the most extreme censorship ever found on a social media platform. The list of banned words and topics is extensive, but their reach expands beyond even that \u2013 you also can\u2019t depict mature themes like smoking, nudity, violence, or certain political content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ByteDance, a China-based company, owns and operates the app, which is well-known in the United States.. An astonishing <\/span>1.12 billion people worldwide<\/span><\/a>, with 170 million registered American accounts (over half the country), were active on the app in 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

TikTok has virtually birthed its own culture, affecting all of us in the process. You\u2019ve likely heard children saying \u201c6-7\u201d or \u201cbussin.\u201d Maybe you\u2019ve seen an influencer filming in the wild. The slang, dances, and memes have stealthily crept their way into our daily lives, whether we want them or not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But unlike prior generations of internet youths, we\u2019re not just seeing silly slang coming from TikTok \u2013 we\u2019re also witnessing suppression of speech.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A C*lture of C*nsor*d Sp*ech\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>top 7% of content creators on TikTok<\/span><\/a> earn more than $200,000 per year. Some earn well into the millions. For other creators, the average hovers around $20,000 a year \u2013 still a significant source of income for tens of thousands of influencers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you tie up most of your money in an app, you put yourself under its rules and regulations. We\u2019ve dealt with this as a cannabis company; one day, <\/span>social media platforms will permit ads about cannabis<\/span><\/a>. Next, they don\u2019t. And if your content gets demonetized because you said or did something not allowed by TikTok, you risk losing your job and a <\/span>lot<\/span><\/i> of money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, it\u2019s really not a surprise that TikTok creators censor themselves so much. The app\u2019s algorithm and screening tools are buggy, but they\u2019re also strict. Some people may squeak through with a swear word or nude video, but others face a ban from the platform if they say \u201ckill.\u201d It\u2019s easier not to tempt fate by violating the guidelines at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aglospeak<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s another unfortunate elephant in the room when it comes to TikTok \u2013 namely, the censoring and shadowbanning of people in marginalized groups. The app is known for pushing <\/span>right-wing agendas in America<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Poland<\/span><\/a>, and other countries, and its censorship often quietly buries the LGBTQ+ community, disabled people, or those speaking out against fascism and war. The app\u2019s owners claim this is to prevent them from becoming victims of bullying, but it\u2019s difficult to deny the sinister overtones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why, exactly, TikTok is so strict is a matter of debate. Many attribute it to corporate reluctance to pay for ad space on an app with swearing and adult content, but on Instagram, you can find those things alongside a plethora of advertisers. Others believe it comes from China\u2019s lack of freedom of speech and tight control over its internet. No matter the source, its impact is noticeable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Essentially, TikTok has built a system of control that rewards compliance and punishes deviation from the norm, whether that means toning down your language, your politics, or your identity. The app\u2019s wide reach gives it especially powerful control: as it governs the most prominent space for digital culture with tightly enforced, invisible rules, it quietly erases the boundaries of free expression\u2014often without anyone realizing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Algospeak and the Rise of Code Words\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201c<\/span>Algospeak<\/span><\/a>\u201d refers to the creation of a coded language to skirt around algorithms and content moderation, and it\u2019s more prevalent on TikTok than any other social media platform.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As TikTok exploded in popularity across the U.S. in 2019, it drew in a tsunami of new users \u2013 including plenty of adults far removed from the app\u2019s Musical. ly-era base. Children no longer dominated it, but it still enforced strict rules on swearing and adult content.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, TikTok became the \u201cit girl\u201d of social media. Everyone had it. And everyone was trying to become an influencer before the market got too saturated. Naturally, it didn\u2019t take long for algospeak to emerge from the chaos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Creators quickly invented their own language, replacing words and phrases like \u201cdead,\u201d \u201csmoking weed,\u201d and \u201csex\u201d with \u201cunalived,\u201d \u201cgardening,\u201d and \u201cseggs.\u201d Their creativity soon influenced everyone on TikTok, who began speaking and writing in euphemisms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some common algospeak words you may have encountered include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n