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Published 17:54 IST, June 14th 2019

TikTok responds after Tamil Nadu woman commits suicide in TikTok video, Full statement here

China's ByteDance-owned video-making app TikTok has responded to an incident where a woman in Tamil Nadu committed suicide in a TikTok video

Reported by: Tanmay Patange
null | Image: self

China's ByteDance-owned video-making app TikTok has responded to an incident where a woman in Tamil Nadu committed suicide in a TikTok video after being scolded by her concerned husband for her TikTok addiction. In a statement provided to Republic World, TikTok extended condolences to the deceased TikTok user's family. Furthermore, the company also said that it does not endorse videos that violate its community guidelines.

Read the full statement from TikTok below:

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of one of our community members and extend our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones in this difficult time. At TikTok, we are committed to maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment for our users. We encourage our users to showcase their creativity, however, TikTok in no way endorses or promotes videos that violate our community guidelines that include harm to oneself or others.”

Meanwhile, the disturbing video has already been taken down by TikTok.

READ | Karnataka police swings into action after a TikTok video of a 21-year-old performing dangerous bike stunts with a girl goes viral

How to enable TikTok's Digital Wellbeing feature

TikTok offers the Digital Wellbeing feature to let TikTok users control their spent time on the app. Thanks to TikTok's Digital Wellbeing feature, you can also limit the appearance of inappropriate TikTok videos in your app's feed. We show you how to enable Digital Wellbeing in TikTok app:

  1. Make sure the version of your TikTok app is up-to-date
  2. Select 'Digital Wellbeing' under the app settings
  3. Tap 'Turn On' button
  4. Now, set a passcode
  5. Toggle either 'Screen Time Management' or 'Restricted Mode.'

READ | Maharashtra: Teenager killed while posing with a pistol for TikTok clip

Suicide prevention helpline details

TikTok also encourages users to get in touch with Suicide-prevention helpline when needed. The details are as follows:

  • United States: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
  • Brazil: CVV 141
  • Canada: Local Crisis Center
  • France: O.S Amitié 01 42 96 26 26
  • Germany: Telefonseelsorge 0800 111 0 111
  • Italy: Telefono Azzurro 19696
  • United Kingdom: Samaritans 08457 90 90 90
  • Russia: Helpline 8-800-2000-122
  • For the rest of the world, please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention to find a crisis center in your area.

TikTok has 200 million users in India. A few weeks ago, the Madurai bench of Madras High Court had directed the government to impose a ban on TikTok citing concerns over the "pornographic and inappropriate contents" being made available through such apps. However, the ban was later lifted by the Madras High Court.

Updated 17:54 IST, June 14th 2019

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