When Kosovo school inspector Eranda Komnova Baji responded to a mother’s call on October 8, she thought she had to solve an ordinary problem, but it did not occur to her that dozens of teenage girls in her town They distort themselves To participate in a challenge on the social media platform “Tik Tok”.
The inspector of Gjakova, which has a population of 80,000, told Agence France-Presse: “A mother called me to tell me that her daughter, a fifth-grade student, had deliberately mutilate herself With her friends while participating in a challenge on TikTok.
The inspector immediately asked all teachers, educational officials and school psychologists to investigate the matter. It turned out that there were 22 cases Self-harm Within a few weeks among the town’s teenage girls, the first one dates back to January.
Komnova Baji added: “At first glance, we thought that they had voluntarily cut their hands with sharp objects. But after medical examinations, we realized that some of the girls had dozens of wounds on all parts of their bodies.” This phenomenon caused a great shock in the town of Gjakova.
Komnova Baji pointed out that “it was not just a shock to the educational community (…) but rather an earthquake for everyone.”
Mental health
The TikTok platform, which is one of the most popular social networks in the world and has one and a half billion users, built part of its success on “challenges,” which are campaigns that invite users to create video clips that replicate something, such as a joke, song, or dance.
The mother of one of the victims reported that children as young as nine years old participated in the challenge after watching videos on TikTok.
This mother, who asked to be referred to only by the first two letters of her name, E.Z., explained that it is “like a game for girls between the ages of nine and 17, who reproduce what they see on TikTok.”
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“This has become my worst nightmare,” said the woman, whose daughter took photos of each of her wounds.
She, like other parents, refused to give her name. Local authorities prevented the identity of the victims, all of whom were minors, from being revealed.
The TikTok platform officially prohibits videos that promote self-harm or suicide.
However, experts, researchers, doctors, and parents have been warning for years about the impact of social networking on the mental health of its users, especially young people. The most prominent known risks are addiction, harassment, and lack of self-esteem.
In 2023, US Chief Medical Officer Vivek Murthy called on the US government to take measures to protect young people who use social media.
Prevention
“We are facing a national mental health crisis affecting young people, and social media is a major factor, one that we must urgently address,” Dr. Murthy wrote in an official memo.
In Gjakova, people who spoke to Agence France-Presse reported that a large percentage of the victims found in mutilating themselves a way to overcome their grief, while others wanted to test their resistance to pain.
“It is very difficult for us to accept that our daughters voluntarily harmed themselves,” said Besvoort Krasniki (45 years old), a company manager and father of three children.
As for 32-year-old hairdresser Kendrisa Hoti, she said: “It is not just a problem, it is more than that.” She added, “My children are still young, and I am not directly concerned, but our fears increase as our children grow older.”
To combat this phenomenon, the educational sector has launched new initiatives to alert students to the dangers of social networks.
Psychologist Mervat Aziri believed that these acts of self-mutilation are inevitably linked to “the ability to use social networks without any supervision, even when children are at school or with the family.”
Prosecutor General’s Office spokesman Derin Domi confirmed to AFP that the judicial authorities in Kosovo had examined the case and opened an investigation. He added that the police are authorized to “take all measures” to clarify the circumstances of this case.
But some believed that the only solution was to simply ban the application.
E.Z. said, “The state should ban Tik Tok (…), as this application publishes everything, even the most dangerous content!”
