To combat bullying and harassment and encourage users to behave responsibly online, TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile videos, has expanded the #CreateKindness online safety campaign with the launch of a new video and a live insight sharing discussion on online safety.
#CreateKindness is TikTok’s ongoing commitment to promote a culture of kindness and nurture a welcoming and supportive community. Since the campaign was launched with a hashtag challenge and a creative video series that raises awareness around online bullying, the resulting user-created videos related to kindness have garnered over 400 billion views across 50 billion video creations globally.
To sustain conversations around #CreateKindness and drive home the importance of kindness, TikTok teamed up with six popular creators from across Southeast Asia to feature a video titled, “From Meanies to Goodies”, which include Ceddy Ang (@ceddyornot) from Malaysia, Ashilla Sikado (@ashilla.sikado) from Indonesia, Ayn Bernos (@aynbernos) from the Philippines, Jeynelle Ng (@buffbaby88) from Singapore, Khánh Vy (@khanhvyccf) from Vietnam and Kru P Ann (@krupann.english) from Thailand.
The video saw each TikTok creator react to comments taken from their videos, ranking them from “mean” to “kind”. They also shared the impact each comment had on them – both good and bad – and highlighted how while comments may seem insignificant or harmless to some, they can leave a big impact on the receiver and even their loved ones and family members.
Ceddy Ang, a food creator who does restaurant reviews and showcases Malaysian food, said, “As a creator, I am conscious of the persona I put onto my digital platforms, because creating a positive environment is the responsibility of all, both for creators and TikTok users. You never know what someone is going through so we should always practice a little empathy and remember there is a living human being behind every username. One of my focuses is to help normalise conversations about mental health in the Malaysian digital space, to help inspire people to be kinder to themselves and those around them. I’ve received messages from fans who have said that my content has moved them to take better care of their own emotional wellbeing, and that makes everything I do worthwhile. When in doubt, be kind!”
Putting the “kind” in humankind
To further conversations around online safety and rally a movement to be kinder in our online interactions, TikTok hosted a panel discussion with Dr Stephen Jambunathan from The Mind Faculty, Henry Teh from Malaysian Humanitarian Foundation (MHF) and Ceddy, who shared insights on the current online safety landscape in Malaysia.
As an experienced consulting psychiatrist who deeply believes in the power of compassion, Dr Stephen Jambunathan said that the need to be kinder matters especially during the pandemic. “With people less socialised and depending highly on social media to bridge the distance now, we need to realise that hate is an ugly word that should not be in the dictionary, much less directed to anybody. Before you dish out hate, try to think of the person on the receiving end and their state of mind. Kindness above all starts with yourself – it starts from home because what is initially indoctrinated and inculcated from young will help us be more compassionate, more discerning and more resilient in dealing with the unnecessary comments we often see on social media today.”
Meanwhile, Henry Teh, who is encouraged by the kindness he has seen from Malaysians lending a helping hand in the spirit of #KitaJagaKita in recent months shares that these acts of kindness need to be translated online. “Kindness can be built into us with baby steps – If we practice it constantly, we can mature with kindness and learn to understand others better, and hence build a gentler and more empathetic world. We can use any medium and social platform to do good just as much as some people might use it for negative means. Essentially, we should think clearly and responsible before we air our thoughts on any public platform and believe that doing things positively can be better for everyone overall.”
Henry also shared about MHF’s World Kindness Day Malaysia Challenge in support of the United Nation’s World Kindness Day, where participants can stand a chance to win cash prizes up to RM2,350 by uploading their best kindness video onto TikTok with the hashtag #worldkindnessdaymalaysia2020.
Strengthened safety resources for parents, caretakers and youth
TikTok is committed to promoting safety and well-being on its platform and has championed comprehensive approaches to online safety. In addition to developing tools to protect user experience on the platform such as comment filtering and blocking, TikTok recently became a Trust and Safety Professional Association (TSPA) partner and constantly reviews and updates their Community Guidelines.
“TikTok serves as a global community that encourages creativity and freedom of expression, which is why it’s critical that we foster a positive and inclusive environment where users can share and express themselves safely. We hope the resources that we provide and the sustained conversations that we hold around creating kindness online inspires others to think before they post,” said Kristoffer Eduard Rada, Head of Public Policy, TikTok Malaysia.
Alongside the #CreateKindness campaign, TikTok has increased its safety resources for parents and guardians by adding new information to the TikTok Safety Center. The refreshed Safety includes a new guide for caretakers to understand the tools available to empower their young to be responsible digital citizens, videos about digital safety and tips for youth to learn about cyberbullying and how to get started safely on TikTok. TikTok also expanded its Family Pairing feature by adding advice for parents developed in collaboration with teens and online safety experts.
To view the creators’ reactions to online comments and hear their stories, check out the full video of “Meanies to Goodies” here.
