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Local schools have urged parents to monitor their children's online activity after video-sharing service TikTok was left battling to remove a suicide video that has gone viral.
An Iraq War Veteran's graphic suicide video was originally streamed on Facebook Live on 31 August and has gone viral since, having been shared across numerous social media platforms.
While Facebook removed the original video on the day it was streamed and "have used automation technology to remove copies and uploads since that time", TikTok in particular has struggled to clamp down on replications of the video, partly due to its content recommendation algorithms.
States secondary schools have warned parents, carers and students about the video after it came to light earlier in the week. A similar message is also being prepared for the States primary head teachers.
The viral video has also prompted Blanchelande College to contact parents this week addressing the matter and asking them to monitor their children's online activity.
Pictured: A spokesman for ESC said these four States secondary schools have alerted parents, carers and students to the gruesome video.
"Please be aware that a suicide video is being shared widely on social media, especially TikTok," said the Blanchelande College's Head of Pastoral Care in a letter to parents.
"Naturally, talking about these issues can make young people curious, so we advise you to monitor closely your son or daughter's online activity and ask them to be very cautious of anything that may upset them. Please contact me if you have any concerns."
Clips of the live-streamed suicide reportedly started circulating on TikTok on Sunday night.
“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," said a spokesperson for TikTok.
“If anyone in our community is struggling with thoughts of suicide or concerned about someone who is, we encourage them to seek support, and we provide access to hotlines directly from our app and in our Safety Centre."
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