A video of a Mississippi man taking his own life — which was originally live-streamed on Facebook — has gone viral on TikTok with children as young as 13 being exposed to the shocking footage.TikTok has said it is proactively working to block the spread of the footage and ban those who upload it, but users are finding workarounds to continue to share the video.The footage was originally broadcast on Facebook Live on August 31, when Ronnie Mcnu*tt, 33, an Army veteran, took his own life. Facebook initially refused to remove the video, saying it did not breach the company’s own Community Standards. Advertisem*nt
Steen said it wasn’t until after 1 am that the video was finally removed from the platform, but by that point, it was too late.Additionally, Steen said Mcnu*tt’s own Facebook page has been flooded with comments, many of which include links to the suicide video and memes or images showing Mcnu*tt’s death. Steen and his friends have repeatedly flagged these posts, but to no avail.“Somehow those don’t seem to qualify as going against Facebook Standards,” Steen told Heavy. “Mainly, it seems, because Ronnie is already dead.” Advertisem*nt
Videos like this can attain a much wider audience on TikTok compared to other platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, because they are shared in a section known as the For You Page, where users scroll through an endless list of videos.Since the video began spreading on TikTok a lot of prominent creators have posted videos warning their followers to look out for an image — a man with a grey beard sitting in front of his desk — and swipe away from the video.“We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who’ve reported content and warned others against watching, engaging or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family,” TikTok told VICE News in a statement.But despite these efforts, children as young as 13 are still being exposed to the video, according to parents posting warnings on social media accounts for other parents.“My 16-year-old described it to me,” one mother said on Facebook. “It haunts her and the image of his little dog that comes into the room after he did it.”If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741, or visithttps://suicidepreventionlifeline.orgfor more information.Cover: File photo dated 03/11/15 of a woman using her phone under a Facebook logo. Niall Carson/PA Wire URN:55157879 (Press Association via AP Images)
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