TikTok linked to dozens of DEATHS worldwide as teens post suicide videos and film killer stunts
TEENS with a deadly addiction to social media are killing themselves after being dragged into the dark side of TikTok, The Sun Online can reveal.
In total, there have been 41 deaths linked to the controversial app - nine of which are understood to have been suicides.
TIKTOK TIME BOMB
TikTok has spread like digital wildfire, snapping up over 1.5 billion users since its global launch three years ago — including millions in the UK.
On the surface, the world's fastest growing social media platform shows short clips of lip-syncing to songs or showing off dance moves but there’s a far more sinister side.
It’s become a magnet for paedophiles as well as a hotbed for violent and extremist content, with TikTok predators exploiting the platform's young user base and lax security to prey on the vulnerable.
We've seen kids as young as eight being groomed on TikTok, while other creeps take advantage of young girls posting sexualised content of themselves on the platform.
And that's especially worrying on a site which is attracting millions more children every year, with 53 per cent of kids now owning a smartphone by the age of seven.
That's why we launched our TikTok Time Bomb series — to make sure parents are aware of the risks their kids are being exposed to, and what they can do to better protect them.
We also want TikTok to better moderate its content so that its not being left to kids to protect themselves online.
His suicide video remained on TikTok for an hour-and-a-half and received nearly 500 comments and 15 complaints before it was finally taken down.
It was only four hours after the teen's death - and nearly three hours after TikTok found out - that police were finally alerted.
String of suicides
His tragic death isn't even the only one to come from a TikTok ban.
Last month, a teenage boy died after setting himself on fire in Pakistan after his dad blocked him from making more videos.
And in January last year, a 16-year-old girl in India, identified only as Priyanka, killed herself after her mum told her off for watching and recording videos.
A 24-year-old mother of two, identified as Anitha, filmed herself drinking poison after her husband reportedly banned her from TikTok.
Simply searching for suicide on the app brings up a number for the Samaritans and a link to a page offering help.
But The Sun Online found haunting videos showing teenagers threatening to take their own lives showing up on TikTok's main feed.
Although commenters ask the users to reach out and speak to someone, the videos have not been removed - even though they give fellow users methods for suicide.
Tragic 14-year-old Molly Russell took her own life just days before her birthday after viewing self-harm and suicide images on Instagram.
Her dad Ian called for action against social media giants after her death and urged tech companies to give their data to researchers to prevent any more deaths.
Speaking last month, he said: "Molly’s suicide smashed like a wrecking ball into my family life...I have no doubt that social media helped kill my daughter."
This comes despite TikTok's policy that no "content that promotes personal injury or suicide" is allowed on the app.
Gruesome stunts
But suicide isn't the only thing killing youngsters on TikTok - with a string of teens dying in a gruesome bloodbath after trying to copy stunts.
In one horror incident, a teenager and his friend were killed by a train while making a clip on train tracks in India.
And in the same country, another teen died on railway tracks after failing to hear a train hurtling towards him because he was filming a video with headphones on.There have also been other grim reports of young users accidentally shooting themselves dead while filming with guns on TikTok.
In fact, there have been so many incidents India has now removed TikTok from app stores despite having more than 120million users in the country.
Worryingly, The Sun Online found videos of teens deliberately putting themselves in danger for likes despite the grisly TikTok death toll.
WHAT IS TIKTOK?
TikTok is a global social media app that lets users create and share short videos with music and camera effects.
It's owned by Beijing-based ByteDance and was originally released in 2016.
The $78billion conglomerate acquired the Musical.ly app in 2017 and merged it with TikTok, bringing millions of new users.
It's one of the world’s most downloaded smartphone apps – with an estimated 1.5billion downloads across the globe, according to data from mobile research firm Sensor Tower.
TikTok particularly attracts younger audiences, with around 41 per cent of its users aged between 16 and 24.
In a bizarre move, some users are making themselves pass out for a viral "challenge" with instructions given by users so other teens can follow.
But experts have warned the challenge could lead to fainting, seizures, brain damage, and even death.
In another risky challenge, kids are knocking their pals to the ground.
The Rompcráneos - Skullbreaker - craze has thousands of hits and has now reached the UK after originating in Venezuela.
One mum in Arizona shared distressing photos of her son with a bloody face, lying in a hospital bed, after he was tricked into jumping for the challenge too.
How to deal with using social media
Charity Young Minds has offered advice for anyone struggling with their social media:
- Remember that it’s okay to take a break. You don’t need to be involved in every interaction, and if you need some space turning off your notifications can be a good idea. You can set daily reminders telling you how long you've been using an app.
- If you’re seeing a lot of negative content on your feed, think about muting or blocking certain accounts or reporting content to the social media company.
- If you feel stressed or anxious about something you come across online, talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling. It could be a friend, a family member, a teacher, a counsellor or a helpline. You’re not alone and it’s okay to ask for help
For more information and advice on social media and mental health visit .
TikTok 'must take responsibility'
The Sun Online launched our TikTok Time Bomb series to raise awareness of the risks and urge the site to be better moderated so kids aren't left to protect themselves online.
Tom Madders, director of campaigns at YoungMinds, comments: “Social media is a normal part of life for young people, and there can be lots of positives to it – but it’s vital that sites like TikTok take responsibility for harmful content on their platforms.
"We welcome the government’s plan to introduce a regulator to make sure social media companies crack down on cyberbullying and on posts encouraging self-harm and suicide.
"We also need to ensure that schools teach children what to do if they see upsetting content, and how to use the online world in a way that’s positive for their mental health.”
TikTok insists there are "protective measures" in place to "reduce the opportunity for misuse".
Commenting on suicide and self-harm linked to the app, a TikTok spokesperson said: "Protecting the wellbeing of our community is extremely important to us and we take our responsibility incredibly seriously.
"If someone tries to search for self-harm or suicide-related content, we do not show results in search. Instead, we provide advice and encourage the user to seek professional support.
"Our specialist content review teams also receive thorough training which includes emergency escalation processes so we can alert and cooperate with local law enforcement if someone is at risk.
"We have investigated the concerns flagged to us by The Sun and recognise there is more we could do to keep our community safe.
"We have already taken steps to improve our in-app protections, including blocking over 100 additional search terms related to this topic. Safety is a top priority for us and we will continue to look at how we can strengthen our in-app protections."
Commenting on the wellbeing of users and their screentime, the spokesperson added: "We want people to have fun on TikTok, but it's important for our community to look after their wellbeing which means having a healthy relationship with online apps and services.
"In April 2019 we introduced Screen Time Management to help people set limits for how long they spend on TikTok each day, and in February this year, we launched Screen Time Management in Feed.
"We partnered with some of our most followed and loved creators to create unique and proactive in-app prompts that remind our community to be aware of the time they spend on TikTok and to encourage them to consider taking some time out."
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123
Take control of TikTok – change these settings now
Parents should do the following immediately...
Go private:
- Head into Settings > Privacy and Safety and look for the Discoverability heading at the top.
- Under that you'll see a setting called Private Account. Toggle this on.
- TikTok recommends your page to lots of other users to improve video circulation.
- Switch the setting off and the account will no longer be recommended to other users.
Shut out weirdos:
- In Privacy and Safety > Safety, you can prevent other users from interacting with you.
- Most of the settings are on Everyone by default, but can be changed to Friends or Off.
- You can prevent interactions on comments, Duets, Reacts, users seeing which videos you've liked, and also messages.
Restricted Mode ON:
- Restricted Mode tries to limit age-inappropriate content from appearing for children.
- It's not perfect, and works through using computer-scanning systems – so some dodgy content will inevitably be missed.
- It's also possible to set a passcode to prevent your child from changing this setting later on.
- You'll find this in Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Screen Time Management.