The disturbing April 24th TikTok trend and how to report it

There are a number of different trends that take place on TikTok, with a few sometimes being dangerous like the April 24 trend which the platform have previously spoken out about.

The April 24 trend glorifies the criminal act of sexual assault and first appeared back in 2021 during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The horrible trend is also otherwise known as National Rape Day - this of course is not an official national day.

Some believe there was an original video that was allegedly made by a group of men, encouraging others to commit acts of sexual assault on this day, wrongly claiming it was legal.

However, this claim is unsubstantiated according to USA Today who found there was no evidence of the original threat described.

The publication looked at "more than 100 videos under TikTok's #april24 and found no record of the purported original, threatening video. Some creators claim to have seen the video but did not share a link, stitch or duet it."

Most of the videos it saw from the hashtag were safety warnings and condemnations of the day, with advice to women that included stay home, travel in groups and carry weapons.

TikTok also confirmed it also does not have any evidence of the video.

In a statement that was released in 2021, a spokesperson for the platform said: "Keeping our community safe is our priority, and we do not tolerate content that promotes or glorifies non-consensual sexual acts including rape and sexual assault.

"While we have not found evidence on our platform of any videos related to this subject, our safety team is remaining vigilant and we will remove content that violates our policies.”

However, if you do see anyone glorifying this trend online, it is important to report them.

There are a number of ways to report innapropriate content on TikTok, which are listed by the platform here.

When using mobile, open the app and go to the video that you wish to report. Then, press and hold on the video, which will make a dropdown menu appear, and select "report" where you'll be given instructions.

Alternatively, you can fill in TikTok's online form for flagging content here.

In a fresh statement, a TikTok spokesperson said: "Once again, media are stoking panic by erroneously reporting on what's been confirmed as a hoax by fact checkers. There is no evidence that promoting this despicable behaviour is a 'trend' on our platform, and such content would be removed for violating our Community Guidelines."

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.

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