Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has become involved in the graphic suicide video calamity sweeping across social media platforms.
As reported on B&T yesterday, a graphic video of a man killing himself is being shared across social media platforms with TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter racing to have the content removed.
And now, Morrison has specifically called out TikTok and said the Chinese-owned video platform needs to do better when it comes to “detecting and tearing down” harmful content.
Morrison said “real world” laws and standards of behaviour “must also apply online”.
“No child should be exposed to horrifying content like this and platforms like TikTok need to put in more resources to detect and tear down this sort of harmful content,” he said.
Morrison said the government’s eSafety Commissioner is working with TikTok to take the video down.
Meanwhile, schools all over Australia yesterday sent warnings to parents about the video, despite the fact it’s been circulating since Sunday.
Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the graphic video could harm young and vulnerable people who viewed it, and TikTok and the other social media sites the video is spreading across needs to work faster to remove it.
In early August, Morrison ruled out any Australian ban of TikTok following concerns over data security, but urged Australians to exercise caution when using the app.
B&T has reached out to TikTok for comment.
If you or anyone you know needs help:
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
- Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
- Headspace on 1800 650 890
