Need to set a 'red line' with TikTok

Waste of time is something that many young people using Tiktok do without realizing it. Just open the application, hundreds of thousands of contents continuously run to serve the audience . "Reading books and watching movies makes me sleepy easily, but watching TikTok keeps my eyes wide open, there are days when I watch until 3am without knowing it," Ngoc Anh (Binh Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City) expressed.

Toxic information spreads strongly on TikTok

Not stopping at silly, useless and annoying jokes such as: Going to the market with 5000 VND, wearing a shirt showing off the chest, combining music to show off photos of going to jail..., TikTok also gives users terrible experiences.

In August 2022, TikTok spread a trend of scaring children (locking children in a dark room, making creepy laughter, scaring the children and making the parents run away), causing many people to be shocked and criticized. Children were suddenly locked in a dark room, screaming, crying and begging, while adults happily shared it on TikTok as a humorous content. The trend of scaring children is extremely cruel, but many parents eagerly follow it.

A TikTok page with more than 600,000 followers and more than 18 million likes, in addition to videos reflecting real life (job and insurance fraud, school violence, etc.), also exploits cases and horror stories that make viewers shiver.

Sexual topics, massacres, superstitious stories... are topics that many TikTokers choose to exploit to attract a large number of viewers. It is not difficult to see that many people are finding ways to circumvent the law, by using sounds and abbreviations, to avoid "flying the channel".

Another TikTok channel uses AI technology to create virtual characters but illustrates real stories and has conclusions from authorities. The story of female student Nguyen Thi Tram Linh committing suicide due to school violence, the story of Van An - an 8-year-old girl who was abused to death... are all told in detail by victims created by AI technology. Notably, the detailed death details make many people wonder: What is the purpose of these clips? Or is it to stab another knife into the hearts of those left behind? Social networks like TikTok with their dizzying speed of spread are aiding this barbaric behavior.

The speed of spread and the outstanding features and advantages of TikTok bring interesting experiences to users, but harmful information, false information, superstition... are also spread and have a great impact on users, especially the younger generation.

Sensational and offensive trends easily become trends, and many users imitate them. Fabricated information such as Miss Tieu Vi dating businessman Dang Le Nguyen Vu, the marriage contract between Tran Thanh and Hariwon, or the investigation agency's conclusion that artists like Thuy Tien, Tran Thanh, and Dam Vinh Hung did not embezzle charity funds are still fabricated and distorted on TikTok and many other social media platforms.

Need to set a 'red line' with TikTok - 2 — thayphuc.jpeg

“Creating a TikTok channel with clean content is difficult to attract viewers, but they will be selective, qualified audiences who will stick with you for a long time.”

TikToker Teacher Phuc

In July 2022, a fire broke out in Lien Nghia Town, Duc Trong District. An account shared a video of the fire with the comment "Firefighting in Duc Trong is just a formality. So they also took 100 million VND". This person said that the Fire Prevention and Rescue Force received 100 million VND from the people after putting out the fire.

The authorities have clarified that the above content is completely untrue, insulting the reputation of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Force, Lam Dong Provincial Police. The Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, Lam Dong Provincial Police has issued a decision to impose an administrative fine of 5 million VND on the person who spread the above false information.

Not stopping there, some users took advantage of the TikTok network to share distorted arguments, opposing the policies of the Party and State, causing disunity.

Need to set a "red line" with TikTok

Media expert Luong Trong Nghia shared that he is 44 years old this year and is still addicted to TikTok. Before going to bed, he always browses TikTok based on topics that interest him.

“But sometimes trending clips appear on the screen, most of which are shocking or sensational, such as those that teach how to play adventure games, or binge-eating or eating strange, unhygienic foods…, even though I know they are nonsense, sometimes I still watch them out of curiosity.”

However, according to Mr. Nghia, as a person with courage, knowledge and understanding, he knows how to filter information, but young people with little experience and low awareness will believe it immediately. Fake news and false information make young people have a distorted and incorrect view of people, society and the country.

Need to set a 'red line' with TikTok - 3 — Communication expert Luong Trong Nghia

“I think it is necessary to review, restrict, and even prohibit people and information channels that report false information, promote offensive actions, or trends that affect the health and thinking of the young generation,” said communications expert Luong Trong Nghia.

Responding to VTC News reporter, researcher Le Ngoc Son - strategic communication and crisis management expert, founding chairman of Berlin Crisis Solutions (BCS) shared that he has two TikTok accounts, one from Vietnam and one from Germany. The general situation is "mixed" and nonsense, but in his opinion, German TikTok is more selective and "less nonsense".

He emphasized the positive impacts that TikTok brings to the Vietnamese people: “TikTok empowers everyone to speak up: people with disabilities can speak up, vendors, motorbike taxi drivers… can express their thoughts and feelings. TikTok is also an effective sales channel, a legitimate source of income for many people today. However, TikTok is also spreading a lot of harmful information."

Need to set a 'red line' with TikTok - 4 — Researcher Le Ngoc Son suggests setting a "red line" with TikTok

"TikTok's users are mostly young people, and incorrect content, especially about culture, will cause them to deviate from their living standards. If these deviations are not adjusted in time, they can also be a tragedy for a developing society.

More than a century ago, the father of sociology, Émile Durkheim, said that in a society lacking standards, people often experience anomie (a state of “no standards”). People lack trust in each other, each individual will be frantically looking for an idol to follow, learn from, and what if their idol deviates from the norm? It seems that TikTok is creating such anomie! The quality of the idols is extremely bad,” researcher Le Ngoc Son expressed.

In the long term, Mr. Le Ngoc Son emphasized that if not adjusted promptly, toxic content on TikTok will cause long-term and serious consequences. "It is dangerous if there are no appropriate management measures. What if false information about national sovereignty and history is widely spread on social networks?" , he said.

Expert Le Ngoc Son shared his opinion: "It is necessary to set a red line with TikTok, there must be sanctions to manage TikTok, and specific requirements must be made, forcing them to comply. If they still deliberately violate, then we will deal with them strictly" - expert Le Ngoc Son shared.

Nguyen Tra

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