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TikTok bullying

Everyone knows the app: TikTok. "TikTok has 1.12 billion monthly active users worldwide" (Backlinko, 2025). I am one of those 1.12 trillion. I consume a lot of content on TikTok: news facts, the latest trends and funny content. But besides the fun things on TikTok, there is also a more serious and negative side: bullying in the comments, live streams and videos. It is something that is becoming more and more normalized. People who post videos where they do not hurt anyone and have fun are attacked with unnecessary hate comments. With this blog I want to spread awareness about bullying on TikTok.

The bullying that happens on TikTok falls under cyberbullying. "Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repeated behavior, aimed at scaring, angering or shaming those who are targeted "(UNICEF, n.d.). "Cyberbullying on TikTok can take many forms, including harassment, threats, intimidation, blackmail, verbal abuse, and more "(OPLN Law, 2025). With the existence of comments, people feel invited to leave their rude and harmful remarks on someone else's video. These hateful comments can be found under almost everyone's TikTok posts, as well as children and people with disabilities are targeted.

TikTok has made its own statements about how it deals with bullying on TikTok: "We deploy both technology and thousands of safety professionals to help keep bullying off TikTok. We also encourage our community members to use the easy in-app reporting tools to alert us if they or someone they know has experienced bullying. You can report videos, comments, accounts and direct messages so that we can take appropriate action and help keep you safe" (TikTok, n.d.). TikTok also provides various tips to prevent bullying. For example, TikTok tells you to make your account private, customize your FYP (for you page), customize who can message you, adjust who can comment on your videos and filter comments and keywords.

It is good that TikTok is committed to this, but the bullying and toxicity on TikTok remains incredibly high. With more than a billion people using the app, it is difficult to keep track of everything. However, it almost seems as if there are no filters in the comments to prevent hateful comments. It is important that people are more aware of the consequences of what their toxic comments can do for someone's mental health. In addition, it is also important that there should be stricter verification for children to participate in TikTok. The toxicity and mean comments can be bad for a young child's self-image. Parents should also read up on TikTok better before allowing their child on the platform.

In short, we need to stop normalizing hateful comments on TikTok. They are not “funny” and can be incredible harmful. People are simply having unharmful fun on the app, it is not okay to leave bullying comments because of it. People need to remember: If you disagree with something, you can always scroll away instead of leaving a comment that could hurt someone else. It is important that TikTok takes this issue more seriously and monitors and filters comments more carefully.

Bibliography:

  • Backlinko. (2025, March 8). TikTok Statistics You need to know. Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://backlinko.com/tiktok-users 
  • TikTok. (n.d.). Bullying prevention. Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/bullying-prevention
  • UNICEF. (n.d.). Cyberbullying: What is it and how to stop it. Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://www.unicef.org/stories/how-to-stop-cyberbullying 


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Comments

  1. Carla CachadiñaMay 30, 2025 at 10:12 AM

    Cancel culture on TikTok never ceases to amaze me. People say the most outrageous things from behind a screen. Thanks for bringing it up.

    ReplyDelete

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