A Reddit post by a TikTok creator with nearly a million followers is drawing attention online after claiming the platform has deteriorated significantly following changes tied to its U.S. restructuring and the expansion of TikTok Shop.
The post, shared in the social media community on Reddit, describes growing frustration among creators who say the app no longer works the way it once did.
“As a creator with over 900k followers, it’s become increasingly clear how drastically this platform has declined, especially since the rollout of TikTok Shop and the U.S. merge,” the user wrote.
According to the creator, the platform has been plagued by frequent outages and technical issues.
“The app simply does not function the way it used to,” the post read, pointing to glitches with comments, messages, likes, low-resolution uploads and even videos disappearing without explanation.
The creator also criticized TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program, saying earnings have dropped sharply compared with earlier payouts.
“I left the CRP months ago after realizing how little it paid compared to early 2023,” the user wrote, arguing that allowing accounts with just 10,000 followers into the program diluted payouts because the reward pool is shared among many creators.
READ: Why is TikTok down? Second outage in two months (
The post triggered a wave of responses from other users who said they have noticed similar changes.
One commenter said the shift reflects a pattern seen across several social media platforms after ownership or business priorities change.
“Everytime without fail when they do these takeovers they completely ruin a perfectly functioning platform. Meta ruined Instagram, Yahoo ruined Tumblr and now this,” one user wrote.
Others argued the shift is tied to monetization.
“Big money comes in and sucks out all the money available to the general public. Greed,” another commenter said.
Several users pointed to a noticeable change in the platform’s priorities, saying shopping features and advertising now dominate the experience.
“TikTok went from ‘creators first’ to ‘creators last but hey buy this random gadget from TikTok Shop,’ real quick,” one commenter wrote.
Another user described the shift in blunt terms.
“The platform didn’t change for creators, it changed for money. Creators built the party but the platform owns the house.”
Some commenters also said the algorithm appears to have changed, affecting how content is recommended.
READ: TikTok completes transition to shopping-focused platform (
“My FYP used to feel curated to my interests, now it’s like 70% random content I’d never engage with,” one Reddit user wrote, adding that engagement for many creators appears to have dropped.
Others took a more moderate view, saying the platform is still usable but has become less stable.
“I wouldn’t say the platform is ruined but it definitely feels less stable than before. The glitches, lower payouts and inconsistent reach make it harder to rely on.”
Some commenters also raised concerns about political content moderation and algorithmic changes, with one user listing issues such as increased ads, old videos resurfacing and fewer posts from followed creators appearing in feeds.
Despite the criticism, several users noted that creators are adapting by diversifying their presence across platforms rather than relying on a single app.
The disruption comes as TikTok creators in the United States report posting issues for the second time in about two months. In a post on X, TikTok’s U.S. team said the problem was linked to an issue at Oracle data centers that support parts of the platform’s infrastructure.
A similar disruption was reported in January, when some users who were attempting to post videos criticizing Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown speculated that the outages were tied to censorship by the platform’s new U.S.-based ownership. TikTok rejected those claims at the time.