TikTok today announced it is launching a new tool to combat bullying. The feature is rolling out today in select markets and more globally over the coming weeks and builds upon ongoing efforts to promote a kind and welcoming community.
Joshua Goodman, Director of Product, Trust and Safety, TikTok said, “People put their hearts and souls into creating and entertaining on TikTok, and we recognize how discouraging it can feel to receive unkind comments on videos. So we’re introducing the ability to delete multiple comments at once or report them for potentially violating our Community Guidelines. Accounts that post bullying or other negative comments can now be blocked in bulk, too. We hope this update helps creators feel more empowered over their experience on TikTok.”
To manage interactions on a video, people can long-press on a comment or tap the pencil icon in the upper left corner to open a window of options. From there, people can now select up to 100 comments or accounts rather than having to go one by one, making it more seamless to delete or report multiple comments or block users in bulk.
The company has been putting in efforts to promote a kind and welcoming community. For instance, TikTok recently introduced a way to filter all comments so that only those a creator chooses will appear on their content. People are also prompted to reconsider posting a potentially unkind comment on a video. And, users ages 13-17 have additional safeguards on their accounts designed to promote an age-appropriate experience, including restrictions on Duet, Stitch, DMs, and comments.
“As we develop tools to combat bullying, we also work to educate teens and families about bullying prevention. Earlier this month we launched a new bullying prevention guide on our Safety Center to help families learn how to identify bullying as well as tools to counter bullying and provide help to bullying victims or bystanders.
“The more we can stamp out bullying behavior, the more welcoming and fun TikTok will be for everyone,” the company added.
