DUBAI: Despite TikTok’s growing popularity, creators on the app have complained of bullying and harassment leading to the platform launching anti-bullying measures, including a prevention guide.
Tara Wadhwa, director of policy for TikTok US, said: “Our goal is to promote a positive environment where people support and lift each other up.”
To help tackle the issue, TikTok recently introduced measures giving creators more control, and prompting users posting negative comments.
Creators can now delete multiple comments at once or report them for potentially violating community guidelines. Accounts that post bullying or other negative comments can also be blocked in bulk.
It means that creators can now select up to 100 comments or accounts rather than having to go one by one, making it easier to delete or report multiple comments or block multiple users.
Additionally, TikTok recently started allowing creators to filter all comments and pick which ones appeared on their content.
“In addition to empowering creators with more tools, we also want to encourage our community to treat everyone with kindness and respect,” added Wadhwa.
People are now prompted to reconsider posting a potentially unkind comment on a video. It also reminds users about TikTok’s guidelines and allows them to edit their comments before posting.
Efforts to combat bullying on the platform are ongoing as TikTok works on developing more tools and educating teens and families about bullying prevention.
The company has also partnered with the Cyberbullying Research Center (CRC) that develops research about cyberbullying and related forms of abuse and misuse. TikTok will work with the CRC to better understand bullying on and off the platform and collaborate on ways and initiatives to improve TikTok and experiences for creators and users.
Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the CRC, said: “The Cyberbullying Research Center is excited to work with TikTok in the months ahead on anti-bullying initiatives. TikTok’s new features are positive steps to promote kindness and we’re eager to collaborate on further ways to protect against bullying and harassment.”
