"Harmless" TikTok Continues to Show Live Suicide
TikTok is fun app for kids! (Until people start widely sharing a live video of a man shooting himself in the head.)
A troubled man took his own life in late August, streaming the act on Facebook Live. That clip has gone viral. Over the past few days, it has shown up frequently on TikTok in the “For Your Page” section that anyone can view. Including all the young users out there who just use TikTok for fun.
You can read more details about it HERE. Or just Google it. It’s pretty troubling stuff.
We are hearing stories of children encountering the clip and seeing the (graphic) act of violence. Some folks are sharing that the video is fake, but it is entirely real. TikTok claims that they are trying to “take the video down,” but that’s near impossible on a platform where a viral clip is being shared all over by plenty of people.
This is what happens in the social media world where everyone has the power to “share.” While platforms like TikTok (and Instagram and Snapchat and Facebook) try to moderate content based upon “community standards,” you can bet that they miss a lot. Or that they can’t keep up with the constant stream of new content. A live suicide, for example.
But here’s the real issue:
Even if these platforms are working to keep content within their parameters of “acceptable content,” do you really want a team of strangers who make $10 an hour to be determining what is acceptable for YOUR kids to see? The whole system is a mess.
It’s a further reminder that parents need to be actively involved in being the gatekeepers to what our kids do and see on their phones. We have to be actively engaged. We can’t afford to be passive.
Talk to your kids about the video. It’s likely that their friends are talking about it. Ask them if they’ve seen it. Talk about why it’s important to use discernment regarding what they do and see on their phones.
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