https://www.cnet.com/news/tiktok-rolls-out-new-features-to-combat-bullying-harassment/
Cyberbullying is a growing issue for many on the internet. Over the course of the past few years, we’ve seen how many people spew hatred toward one another across various platforms. We’ve heard accounts of people being cyberbullied again and again. And TikTok has often been at the forefront of where much of it takes place. How many times have you read an article or heard another news story about online abuse through social media, primarily TikTok?
Thankfully, the developers of TikTok recognize the problem and are taking huge steps to overcome it by adding new features that help its users promote kindness and respect toward one another. One such feature is the new Filter All Comments. This feature gives users the ability to review comments others make on their content and then delete them or approve them to appear with their video. Whereas previously, a feature of TikTok was to target comments that contained offensive language or key words, this feature gives the owner of the account the ability to totally remove them before they are ever posted.
Another feature the creators have added, the Rethink feature, prompts users who type an ugly or hateful comment to rethink and change it before posting it on the site. It appears that the creators of TikTok truly are working to find ways to “promote respectful discussions” among its users.
In addition, one of the greatest strides the developers of this platform have taken to combat cyberbullying is to partner with the Cyberbullying Research Center. This is an organization that is “dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, exent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents.” According to a recent Pew Research study, 41% of Americans have experienced being cyberbullied. Of that 41%, three-fourths of those people admitted that the abuse came through some type of social media platform.
So, it is obvious to the developers of TikTok that online abuse is a huge issue that must be addressed. Kudos to them for seeking to find and implement ways to combat this problem and make their platform a more positive experience both mentally and emotionally for their users.
