TikTok and UNICEF South Africa call on SA to stand together against online bullying and harassment
- TikTok and UNICEF South Africa partner to launch #SharingPositivity, a campaign to reaffirm their commitment to offering a safe and positive online environment.
- Local comedians and top creators have joined the #SharingPositivity movement and are calling on the local community to play their part too.
09 November 2020: TikTok and UNICEF South Africa have launched the #SharingPositivity campaign, a nationwide initiative that calls on the online community to stand together and pledge to stop online bullying and harassment.
The initiative comes off the back of the most recent Global Advisor Survey on cyberbullying, which revealed more than one quarter of parents surveyed in South Africa have reported that their child has experienced cyberbullying.
Now, as South Africa leads up to Anti-Bullying Week, an annual global awareness drive that takes place from 16-20 November, TikTok and UNICEF South Africa are playing their part in raising awareness around these cyber issues by calling on South Africa’s online community to pledge their support to stop such abuse and to ‘Share Positivity’.
With the support of top creators, TikTok and UNICEF invite South Africans to join the challenge and create their video of support to help make the internet and the TikTok community a positive and inclusive place.
Local actress and comedian, Nina Hastie; along with TikTok creators will also be a part of an edutainment video series that will drive awareness about bullying and harassment, as well as educate users on what the community guidelines are, safety features available, and moderation policies that can be used.
Boniswa Sidwaba, TikTok Content Operations Manager in Africa, says that cyberbullying is an industry-wide challenge. “However, as a key player in the online space, it’s essential that we at TikTok play our part in online safety,” she notes. “TikTok is a place for joy and creativity, and we are committed to fostering a positive and inclusive environment where users can share and express themselves comfortably. Through this initiative, we want to encourage everyone to work together to help reduce bullying and harassment within the TikTok community.”
Sidwaba explains that there are a number of controls, tools and privacy settings available to users which can be used to deal with harassment and bullying from others including in-app reporting, blocking users, control interactions, duet control.
“Online abuse and exploitation have a devastating impact on the mental, social and physical wellbeing of children and young people,” says Sinah Moruane, UNICEF South Africa Child Protection Specialist. “That’s why the #SharingPositivity campaign is so important - it aims to raise awareness of the dangers online and to provide clear guidance to youth on how to stay safe whilst still having fun, learning and connecting with peers,” adds Moruane.
How can everyone get involved? Create a short video showing your support to stand with the community and stop online bullying as well as commit to conducting yourself in a way that helps create a safer, happier, and more positive online environment. Don’t forget to include #SharingPositivity.
Join the below South Africans who have already taken a stand and spoken out to stop online bullying:
To further support the cause, TikTok hosted a Livestream Webinar yesterday, broadcast from the TikTok South Africa account, with a panel of expert guests including Sinah Moruane from UNICEF, William Bird (Director at Media Monitoring Africa), Brent Lindeque (owner of The Good Things Guy blog) and TikTok content creator, Kelly_KiKx. The guests spoke about online bullying in South Africa, online safety issues and tips, experiences in the online space and a perspective from a creator’s point of view respectively. Over 16 thousand users from the TikTok community joined to show their support.
As a platform that celebrates creativity and expression, TikTok is continuously enhancing and updating its various policies and tools to ensure its millions of users feel safe and comfortable within the community. Learn more about TikTok’s safety efforts and our Community Guidelines.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in over 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children everywhere.
Working with a range of partners, UNICEF has had a presence in South Africa since the end of apartheid and continues to work towards bettering the lives of all children in the country.
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About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. www.tiktok.com.
