On 31 August, a man named Ronnie McNutt from Mississippi, United States documented his own death via Facebook Live. The video showed him shooting himself in the head with a shotgun.
The gruesome suicide video was originally circulating on Facebook, Twitter and other apps. Many TikTok creators started warning their followers to look out for this video after the TikTok community became aware of it.
tw // suicide
please please be careful scrolling through tiktok tonight people are posting a graphic video of a man with a beard committing suicide on facebook live. i would avoid the app for the next day or so until tiktok gets this settled
— ???????? ??? (@barelygoth) September 7, 2020
TikTok users are asked to swipe away on this suicide video of a man with a grey beard sitting on a chair, as the video started circulating on 6 September 2020 (Sunday). TikTok is trying to be particularly alert as the videos are appearing on users’ For You Page, the main page on TikTok.
According to a representative from TikTok, their system has been automatically detecting and blocking those video clips for violating TikTok’s policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide.
“We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who’ve reported content and warned others against watching, engaging or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family,” the person said, according to The Verge.
The TikTok representative also added that access to hotlines is provided in the app as well as in the Safety Centre of the app if anyone on TikTok is struggling with suicidal thoughts or is concerned about someone who is suicidal.
Contact Befrienders KL at 03-76272929 for free if you feel lonely, in distress, in despair or is suicidal. Emotional support is provided 24 hours every day. Life is precious.
Also Read: Malaysians Make Fun Of Honduras TikTok Personality For Having The Name “Babi”
