“Harbinger of Suicide Death”. KidsAlert warns

The KidsAlert application published a warning about the growing phenomenon of posting resignation content on TikTok, including short farewell letters from young users. According to the alert, the platform's algorithm may increase teenagers' exposure to disturbing materials.

Kids Alert warns parents that materials that the authors refer to as “my date” are increasingly appearing on TikTok, which – according to the authors of the alert – is sometimes a “harbinger of suicide death”.

According to the analysis of the Institute of Media Monitoring, an increase in interest in such publications has been observed since October – noted the authors of the announcement. They noted that there are more and more materials of this type, and some have a reach exceeding one million views. Examples of phrases used in the descriptions of young users' profiles include: “my date is today”, “my date of death” and specific dates “often mistaken for birth dates”.

Although the content published on the application is not the direct cause of the tragedy, it may indirectly affect the psyche of teenagers who excessively use the platform – warns KidsAlert. The algorithm can automatically suggest further similar materials if the user encounters them at a difficult moment.

The information refers to the analysis of two cases of suicide among teenagers, in which – as it was written – “very disturbing content” was discovered on the accounts of the people examined.

The authors of the alert critically assessed advertising messages and campaigns promoting TikTok as a safe space for children. They emphasized that “the platform probably does not or does not want to control the harmful algorithm,” and therefore “children are not safe on TikTok and never will be.”

They called on parents to be more aware of their children's digital environment and added that algorithms can create very different content streams for each user.. “Your TikTok may look different than your child's TikTok,” they explained.

For adults, they recommended, among others: keeping an ongoing interest in what the child watches on the Internet, paying attention to mood changes and reacting “with concern, not anger” when disturbing materials are found. They also reminded about the possibility of using the “Help Map” tab in the application in crisis situations.

On Monday, we asked TikTok for comment on the concerns raised about it in the warning. By the time the cable was published, we had not received a response.

Kids Alert is a free application created for adults (parents, guardians, teachers) that warns about current threats and disturbing trends on the Internet that children encounter, offering support in the form of a help map and the ability to report dangerous content. It was created on the initiative of Kinga Szostko, president of the prozdrowie.org foundation, creator of the websitebezpieczdziecko.org, social specialist working in the areas of peer violence, sharing, publishing the image of children and youth and dangerous trends. Warns and educates parents and teaching staff.

People requiring support can use the 24-hour telephone number 800-70-22-22 at the Support Center for Adults in Mental Crisis, seven days a week. The Children's Helpline of the Ombudsman for Children operates similarly – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, tel. 800-12-12-12. If anyone has information regarding a threat to life or health, they can also call the emergency number 112.

Mira Suchodolska (PAP)

mir/akar/