TikTok is immersed in a challenge of those that no social platform wants to take on ever: remove content that shows suicide images. To be more specific, the video they are trying to delete shows a person shooting himself with a gun. Something that, as you can imagine, is a major problem for the social network and for all those parents and guardians whose minors use TikTok on a daily basis.
TikTok and how to remove the propagation of a video
On the internet and unfortunately for all of us, we have already seen horrible things over the years. The problem is that, since the arrival of social networks, the speed at which certain content is disseminated is much greater. And that's a big problem for which virtually no platform is prepared.
This time it is TikTok that faces one of those tense and complicated moments. Since last Sunday on the platform some of his users are posting the video of a suicide, where very unpleasant images are seen and which, according to the social network, was originally published on Facebook.
Since the problem was detected, the platform has been quick to remove any reference to it and, of course, also the tiktoks where the entire video or parts of it were shown. Because oddly enough, there are users who are "inviting" others to look for it. In addition, all those accounts are canceled directly, because it is content that is not allowed to be published.
The problem is that the deletion is not easy. Although automated and manual mechanisms are being used, the speed at which this type of content is searched for is always insufficient compared to the speed at which it can be disseminated by user action, not to mention the possibility of make live videos. Hence They ask from TikTok that users also help notify when they see it and mark the accounts that spread it.
Something that all of you who use TikTok should do if the case arises. Because if you are of legal age, the experience will be unpleasant, but for the millions of minors who use the platform, it can be much worse. So now you know what to do.
measures against suicide
The crisis that TikTok finds itself in right now as a platform is nothing new. Other social networks such as Facebook itself or YouTube have suffered similar episodes years ago. And it is that it is complex to avoid this type of content and its viral diffusion in a few hours.
However, beyond the work that they themselves can do as a platform and us as users, the important thing is that if any type of behavior is detected that could indicate that a person is struggling with suicidal thoughts, they should try to help. Something that can be done either by talking to that person or by providing the telephone lines with personnel specialized in these problems so that they can help.