Tiktok, the famous Chinese video-sharing mobile application, is now struggling to take down video clips of a man killing himself. The said video was first shared on other social networking sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, which has gone viral.
But apparently, the video has made itself to the popular video-sharing app, which raises a further alarm. Tiktok is a very popular video application among young people, and many have reported coming across the alarming video and claim that they have been traumatized by its content.
Tiktok has taken a move against the video and warned that it would ban its users who will continue to upload the said clips. Last month, it was reported that the United States is planning to ban Tiktok because of data security threats among its citizens.
Tiktok Warns Users in Watching and Sharing the Alarming Video
A representative from Tiktok said that their systems have been automatically detecting and flagging the video clips of the man circulating in the video-sharing app, which violates their policies against content that depicts, glorifies, praises, or promotes suicide.
Tiktok has also extended its gratitude to those responsible community members who have reported the content. On the other hand, Tiktok has warned those users who continue to watch, engage, or share the video clips on the app or any platform out of respect to the man and his family.
According to some reports, Facebook had already removed the original alarming video from their system last month, the same day it was streamed, and have used automation technology to remove any copies and uploads that have been made during that time. Facebook's management has also extended its condolences to the man's family and friends during this difficult time.
Read Also: Tiktok Might Be Banned in the US, but Microsoft Says It Is Still Talking to Trump to Buy It
Media Influences in Suicidal Behavior
Since media platforms and content have proliferated over the years due to the rapid development of technologies, which makes it easier to view, engage, and share content and communicate with other people, experts believe that media plays a significant role in the rising suicidal behavior.
According to a study from New Zealand, television, movies, internet, music, and music videos were the most common sources of suicide portrayals of any form of media.
The recent example is the video clips circulating on the internet of a man killing himself. Facebook has already removed it from its system, and now the Tiktok race to remove it also.
The video-sharing app's algorithms would often recommend content not included in the list of people that a user follows.
Meanwhile, Facebook Live has been used as a platform to stream suicides live on video since 2015. Facebook has received criticism regarding it as well as sensationalizing self-harm and suicide contents from its users.
One case was the death of Molly Russell in 2017, in which her father said that Instagram has helped kill his daughter. The photo-sharing app then said it would ban accounts who continue to share self-harming content on their website.
Read More: Tiktok to File Legal Challenge Against US Prohibiting Transactions With the App
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