The TikTok social media platform on Tuesday urged users to report any video that contains threats or the glorification of sexual assault.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The move followed an appalling video posted on TikTok dubbing April 24 "National Rape Day."
April is international sexual assault awareness month. It is unclear whether the social media post was meant to sardonic, a vile prank, or an actual call to action, but news of "National Rape Day" has gone viral on Facebook as well.
Facebook has flagged posts dealing with the issue as "false information."
According to the Daily News, agitation over the issue has grown across social media despite the fact that the video in question cannot be found, even by TikTok's head office itself. Still, millions of users claim to have seen the unsettling video allegedly featuring six men saying that on April 24 it would be "okay" to sexually assault women, and post about it online.
A spokesperson for TikTok was cited by the Daily News as saying, "The supposed 'national rape day' trend being reported upon is abhorrent and would be a direct violation of our Community Guidelines, and while we haven't seen evidence of this trending on our platform, our safety team remains vigilant and would remove any such content."
Any content that "promotes, normalizes or glorifies non-consensual sexual acts or non-consensual touching, including rape and sexual assault, are strictly prohibited and promptly removed," he stressed.
TikTok users have been posting safety tips for readers to follow to decrease the likelihood of becoming targeted.
Community Empowerment Minister Orly Levy-Abekasis and the National Child Protection Task Force issued a joint statement urging parents and children to report any online encounter mentioning "national rape day" to the the Israel Police's child protection hotline (105).
The NCPTF urged TikTok users in Israel not to share any of these posts on social media, so as to minimize children's exposure to this offensive content and to diminish panic among minors and their parents.
"We are committed to safeguarding and increasing our children's sense of personal safety online," Levy-Abekasis said in a statement.
"While at this time we have found no indication of posts encouraging it ["national rape day"] if you or your children come across it we recommend you contact the 105 hotline immediately," she stressed.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
