A record number of TikTok-related crime reports are being investigated, adding footage of alleged assault, abuse, theft and intimidation.
Police recorded 6,241 suspected social media-like offences last year, up from 5,000 in 2022, according to a survey of 44 police forces in England and Wales.
Worryingly, given the site’s popularity among young people, there have also been court cases over images of child abuse, bullying, and attempts to manipulate children. And there are fears that the actual number of crimes is closer to 9,000, as 12 forces have not responded to our requests for data.
In London, officers dealt with TikTok prankster Mizzy multiple times last year and he got 18 weeks’ jail. The 19-year-old, real name Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, caused outrage with pranks including taking an elderly woman’s dog, entering homes without permission and getting into strangers’ cars.
Gwent Police were confronted by a scammer posing as a father who claimed to be raising money in memory of his deceased children. The same force pursued a known criminal who posed as a child to trick another child into exchanging nude photographs for Bitcoin. In Cheshire, a woman reported sexual harassment after someone contacted her to ask for intimate photographs while she livestreamed a video of her dancing.
Cambridgeshire Police investigated homophobic hatred, Northumbria officials obtained a report about a child being bullied and in Lincolnshire a risk of killing a dog. And a motorcyclist received a suspended criminal sentence for 20 offenses, including dangerous driving, after clips showed him driving. sidewalks and on the aspect of the road.
The Chinese company TikTok, which has been banned from the devices of officials and ministers for fear of espionage, faced anger last night. John Carr, a former government adviser on child online safety, said he could be “first in the line of fire”. under the new Online Safety Act, adding: “These are shocking figures. TikTok wants to up its game. “
David Spencer, from the Centre for Crime Prevention, added: “While I am reluctant to defend online censorship, TikTok’s malign influence means that this is a ban that the government is looking to extend. »
TikTok said: “Criminal activity is not allowed on TikTok and we are working with local authorities to ensure this if necessary. We have strict policies against this content and behavior, and of the infringing content we remove, 96% are removed before we are informed.
The Government was also approached for comment.
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