People Are Being Warned About A Graphic Suicide Hidden Inside TikTok Videos
The clip is being edited into unrelated videos to trick people into viewing the graphic footage.
TikTok users are being warned that a video of a man committing suicide is circulating on the app, sneakily inserted into seemingly innocent, unrelated videos.
*CW: This article discusses suicide*
UPDATE 5PM, SEPTEMBER 9:
After Prime Minister Scott Morrison learned of the suicide clip circulating on TikTok, he threatened to hold the app accountable if they didn’t remove the video from their platform.
“Those who run these organisations have a responsibility to those who are watching it and particularly when it comes to children,” the Prime Minister said in a public address. “You need to be accountable. You need to be responsible. My government will be doing everything to make sure we hold you to account for that.”
In response, Lee Hunter, General Manager of TikTok Australia and NZ, provided a statement to Junkee regarding the video and TikTok’s efforts to scrub the clip from the platform.
“On Sunday night clips of a suicide that had originally been live-streamed on Facebook circulated on other platforms, including TikTok,” the statement read. “This content is both distressing and a clear violation of our Community Guidelines and we have acted quickly and aggressively to detect and remove videos, and take action against accounts responsible for re-posting the content through a mix of machine learning models and human moderation teams.”
“We have also updated related hashtags to surface a public service announcement, with resources for where people can seek help and access our Safety Centre,” the statement continued. “We understand and share the concerns expressed by the Prime Minister, eSafety Commissioner and the wider community that materials like this are made and shared.”
“We are working closely with local policymakers and relevant organisations to keep them informed,” the statement concluded. “We understand the serious responsibility that we have, along with all platforms, to effectively address harmful content and we want to reiterate that the safety of our users is our utmost priority.”
EARLIER:
Children and unsuspecting viewers are being tricked into watching the video of an American taking his own life in a graphic video that was first uploaded to Facebook over the weekend. TikTok is desperately trying to remove the video off its platform, but the nature of the app is apparently making the task difficult.
Users are being served the graphic video in their feeds without warning via the app’s ‘For You’ page, which is designed to gather videos from accounts you don’t follow. As these videos auto-play, users are unable to swipe away in time.
In response, people who have seen the video are sharing the man’s face in hopes that no one else is tricked into watching the disturbing video. We have chosen not to re-publish the man’s identity.
Yo, fair warning, don't be on Tik Tok tonight or maybe even for the rest of tomorrow.
Tonight a man shot himself live on Tik Tok with a shotgun, and it's being shared around like candy. It's gruesome, and nobody should see it unintentionally.
RTs would be appreciated.
— Goose was kidding (@Goosenpai) September 7, 2020
In a statement to Business Insider, TikTok explained that they are working on removing the clips and banning accounts that continue to share the video.
“Our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide,” the statement reads. “We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who’ve reported content and warned others against watching, engaging, or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family.”
Since the clip began rapidly circulating on TikTok, Safe on Social — a consulting firm focused on cyber safety in schools — alerted 7,000 schools of the video, according to the ABC.
Posting to their Facebook page, Safe on Social also urged parents to keep their children offline and supervise their social media use until the video was scrubbed off the platform.
“We strongly recommend keeping your children offline today if possible, and heavily supervise all social media interactions until this content is removed,” the post read. “Check with your children to determine if they have viewed this clip. They are likely to be extremely distressed.”
Junkee has reached out to TikTok for comment.
If you need support, both Lifeline on 13 11 14 and the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 offer 24-hour assistance. For further information about youth mental health, both Headspace and Reach Out can provide guidance. You can also talk to a medical professional or someone you trust.