Viral video app Tiktok is trying to stop a spate of videos apparently showing a man killing himself being posted on its service, with New Zealand users among those whose have seen the clip.
The Verge reports that the clip began circulating on Tiktok on Monday. A spokesperson for Tiktok said they are aware of the issue and are working to stop people posting and spreading it.
The video was reportedly live streamed on Facebook first before users began transferring it to Tiktok.
Tiktok users can upload edited videos to their accounts, but if they gain enough traction, they can be pulled into Tiktok's For You page and shown to very large audiences.
Users generally do not have any warning about what will be shown next as they swipe through the For You page.
One Kiwi TikTok user told 1 NEWS that they were shown the clip, and were left disturbed afterwards.
They said the video had also been re-uploaded and placed inside of other, innocuous clips in order to bypass automatic censorship algorithms.
A Tiktok spokesperson told The Verge that "our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide.
"We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who've reported content and warned others against watching, engaging, or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family."
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