ANN/THE STAR – Every day, an average of about 850 TikTok videos in Malaysia are taken down because they contain elements of harassment and bullying.
About 78,000 videos in Malaysia with such content were removed by TikTok during the first three months of 2024, based on data from the social media giant.
However, such numbers are likely just the tip of the iceberg that is the problem of cyberbullying, mental health experts said.
They suggest platforms take more steps to protect users, including speeding up action against online bullies, better user authentication to prevent bullies from creating new accounts and introducing breaks to newsfeeds.
At the same time, more should be done to educate the public on how to maintain their mental health online.
Cyber bullying was recently tossed into the spotlight after the death of social media influencer A Rajeswary, better known as Esha.
On July 5, she was found dead after becoming a victim of harassment and online threats on TikTok.
Under its safety and civility policy, TikTok does not allow harassment or bullying.
Clips with such elements are removed from the platform, along with other types of breaches such as hate speech and hateful behaviour, human exploitation, and violent behaviour and criminal activities.
Beyond the reported numbers, Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) president Dr Andrew Mohanraj said there were likely more cases of social media users who have been emboldened to bully and harass others.
