Research conducted by the popular social media video app looked at how young people engaged with online challenges and hoaxes, including disturbing and harmful ones which attempt to coax viewers into self-harm or suicide.
TikTok said it will now start removing “alarmist warnings” about potentially harmful online challenges and hoaxes because its research found these warnings can exacerbate the problem by treating the hoax as real.
The study of 10,000 teenagers, parents and teachers from around the world – including the UK – found that while only 0.3 per cent of young people said they had participated in an online challenge they would categorise as very dangerous, nearly half of those asked said they wanted more information and help on how to better understand risk.
It comes as social media platforms continue to face scrutiny over how they police harmful content on their sites and the steps they take to protect their users – particularly younger ones.
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