TikTok anti-bullying features added, with two-way filtering

Two new TikTok anti-bullying features have been added to the app today, designed to educate those posting unkind comments, and allow users to approve or reject comments made on their videos.

Trolls are a sad fact of life anywhere on the internet that allows comments, with the psychology well understood …

It’s generally those who feel insecure or inadequate in their own lives who attempt to make themselves feel better by attacking others. However, that may not be apparent to those on the receiving end, especially when they are teenagers – which is TikTok’s core demographic.

The company said that it is aiming to tackle both ends of the problem: those who post attacks, and those who are on the receiving end of them.

First, it detects what appear to be attacks and asks the author of them to think again.

Part of this fun is engaging with content, sharing ideas, and connecting through comments. Our goal is to promote a positive environment where people support and lift each other up […]

We want to encourage our community to treat everyone with kindness and respect. A new comment prompt now asks people to reconsider posting a comment that may be inappropriate or unkind. It also reminds users about our Community Guidelines and allows them to edit their comments before sharing.

It does so with a prompt that appears after the comment is submitted.

Would you like to reconsider posting this? This comment contains words that may violate our Community Guidelines. If you change your mind, you can edit your comment.

It then offers the options of editing, or posting anyway.

At the other end, users are offered a new “Filter all comments” option, in addition to the existing options to filter spam, offensive comments, and user-defined keywords.

Creators put their heart and soul into creating content millions of people love, and we’re working to provide even more control over their content. With our new Filter All Comments feature, creators can decide which comments will appear on their videos. When enabled, comments aren’t displayed unless the video’s creator approves them using the new comment management tool.

The short video sharing app company also said it is partnering with an anti-bullying research group.

We value the guidance of experts as we develop policies and features, and today we’re announcing our new partnership with the Cyberbullying Research Center (CRC). The CRC’s mission is to develop sound research about cyberbullying and related forms of abuse/misuse, and we’ll be working with them to advance our knowledge of bullying on and off TikTok, collaborate on ways to better support our community members, and develop other initiatives to help our platform remain supportive and welcoming.