TikTok finds some content from ‘365 trend’, which jokes about sexual violence, violates community guidelines

TikTok has said that some of the content posted as part of the “365 trend”, a fad that has been popular on the video-sharing platform in which users made jokes about sexual violence, violates its community guidelines.

In June, 365 Days, a Polish film described by Netflix as an “erotic drama”, was released on the streaming platform.

The film was heavily criticised for its portrayal of sexual violence and themes of Stockholm Syndrome, as a woman falls in love with her violent kidnapper, who keeps her locked up for an entire year.

A petition to ban the film, that stated that it “glorifies, romanticises, and condones sexual assault”, amassed more than 86,000 signatures.

Welsh singer Duffy – who recently came forward with a harrowing personal account of being abducted and raped – spoke out against the film, saying: “It grieves me that Netflix provides a platform for such ‘cinema’, that eroticises kidnapping and distorts sexual violence and trafficking as a ‘sexy’ movie.”

In a statement issued by Netflix in July, a spokesperson did not comment directly on the criticism, stating: “Members can choose what they do and do not want to watch by setting maturity filters at a profile level and removing specific titles to protect from content they feel is too mature.”

Following the release of the 365 Days on Netflix, some TikTok users began posting videos using the hashtags “#365dayschallenge” and “#365days”, where they would share viral reaction videos to the film, satirical memes and jokes about sex-related injuries and assault.

In an Independent article that addressed the popularity of the trend psychotherapist Silva Neves, who specialises in psychosexual and relationship therapy, said that the TikTok users taking part in the tend were “buying into an old fairy tale narrative of a desire to be the chosen one, to be taken and protected by the alpha male, which is a deeply misogynistic concept, yet is one that is engrained in the collective psyche of our society”.

On Wednesday 2 September, Emily Test, a Scottish charity committed to preventing gender-based violence among students, stated on Twitter that TikTok had reviewed its community guidelines with regards to the 365 trend.

“Great news from @tiktok_us – they have revisited their initial assistant of the 365-trend (videos showcasing bruising from sexual violence) and determined it violates community guidelines,” the organisation stated, adding that the platform is conducting a “sweep” and “removing all 365-trend videos globally”.

We Can’t Consent To This, a campaign group highlighting the increasing number of women who are killed or seriously injured during sex, also shared the news on Twitter.

When contacted by The Independent, TikTok confirmed the update to its community guidelines stating: “Our top priority is to promote a safe and positive experience so that everyone can be free to express their creativity. Every day, our teams work to strengthen the policies, technologies and safety strategies that keep our community safe.

“Following a review, we have concluded that some of the content posted violates our Community Guidelines and has been removed.”

The community guidelines on the TikTok website state that the platform does not allow “content that is excessively gruesome or shocking, especially that promotes or glorifies abject violence or suffering”.

TikTok states that content is not allowed if it is “gratuitously shocking, sadistic, or excessively graphic”, which includes “depictions of severe physical violence”.

The company also says that content is not permitted that “depicts, commits, or incites non-consensual sexual acts”, in addition to content “that commits, promotes, or glorifies sexual solicitation or sexual objectification”.

The “365 trend” isn’t the only controversial social media challenge to have glamourised domestic violence as of late.

In April, a challenge where TikTok users would create mock-up mugshots of themselves began gaining traction, with high-profile influencers including James Charles and Corinna Kopf taking part.

Charles’ and Kopf’s images, which have since been deleted, showed them with injuries on their faces. After deleting his contribution to the challenge, Charles said it was “never his intention” to “trigger anyone” who found the trend offensive.

According to the Office for National Statistics, approximately 5.7 per cent of adults in England and Wales, which equates to 2.4 million people, suffered domestic abuse in the year ending March 2019.

The organisation found that in the 12-month period, 0.4 per cent of adults suffered domestic sexual assault.

To contact the 24-hour free National Domestic Abuse Helpline, call 0808 2000 247. You can also contact the helpline online at the following link, Monday to Friday from 3pm to 6pm.

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