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TikTok announced Tuesday a slew of options supposed to assist customers scuffling with psychological well being points and ideas of suicide.
These embody well-being guides, a assist information for these scuffling with consuming problems and a search intervention characteristic that can direct customers to assist sources once they lookup phrases equivalent to #suicide.
TikTok’s announcement of the brand new options adopted a Wall Street Journal report that mentioned Facebook has repeatedly discovered its Instagram app may very well be dangerous to youngsters’ psychological well being in sure conditions.
The 2 apps are in tight competitors for teenagers’ consideration. Since its 2017 launch, Chinese language-owned TikTok has gained floor on Instagram. Final 12 months, it surpassed Instagram as U.S. youngsters’ second-favorite social media app after Snapchat, based on an October 2020 report by Piper Sandler.
TikTok’s new options will direct customers to assist, equivalent to a Disaster Textual content Line in the event that they seek for the time period “suicide.”
Though TikTok’s new options could also be timed to Nationwide Suicide Prevention Week, which was final week, the timing is fortuitous. Following the Journal’s report, U.S. lawmakers heavily criticized Fb for social media’s impression on teen psychological well being and the corporate’s failure to handle the issues.
