TikTok Is Bonkers

TikTok is everywhere. There are ads for the app on television, in streaming services, and even banner ads for it no matter where you go online. Even public transportation sports ads for TikTok inside of the buses (at least there are in Orlando, Florida where I live!) as well as on billboards.

For those of you who don't know, TikTok is a video sharing social media app and website. Users make short videos and have the option to choose to add text, sound effects, music, etc, as well as stitch another user's video to their own and duet (make a video that's a split screen interacting with the original video).

However, based on my personal experience with TikTok, it is also completely bonkers.

For starters, TikTok has a list of Community Standards which aren't any different from other social media apps. They're the usual stuff: No pornography, no illegal activities, no cyber bullying, etc. Really basic stuff that you'd find anywhere on places such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like. The only difference is that TikTok actually ignores their Community Standards to the point of protecting videos which obviously violate them.

I had my TikTok for a few years, where I posted videos of my pet hirudo verbana, along with doing plague doctor cosplay. I connected with furries and cosplayers on there and was generally having fun posting random videos that were aimed to make people think, show support for major world issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war (I made a video in support of Ukraine), and the like. Recently, tired of only seeing the "good" videos of what it's like to raise a special needs child, I chose to make and post some videos of Cody showing the reality of raising a special needs child.

That's when the hate comments started coming in. They were so vile, I'm not going to repeat them here. I had videos which had previously not been in any violation of their Community Standards, being reported. First, there was a Copyright Violation on my video showing support for Ukraine in their war against Russia, in which I had chosen an audio clip of the Black Eyed Peas song "Where Is The Love?" from TikTok's vast list of audio clips to choose from as background for my peace message. This I appealed because the song in question in my video was one that was available to choose from on their own app, but the appeal was denied.

The next video of mine to be mass reported and taken down by TikTok was one in which I was showing how poor the customer service was at my local Walmart after they fouled up my grocery delivery order. That one TikTok removed for "promoting the sale of regulated goods and illegal activity". Again, I appealed the violation, but my appeal was denied.

Lastly, there was a rare video of my son walking around after a bath. This one was also mass reported and after over a week of cyber bullying where the bullies made truly vile comments on all of my videos (comments which I reported, but TikTok decided were "no violation"), they permanantly banned my account.

I was furious. ME, the victim of the cyber bullying, had my account banned over slanderous lies. I appealed their ban, writing TikTok every day explaining my side of it. All of my appeals were denied and TikTok didn't even tell me which of their Community Guidelines I was in violation of, making it challenging for me to make my appeals. Meanwhile, TikTok had decided that the videos that I reported to them that were actually violating their Community Standards were "no violation".

After multiple back and forth emails with their customer service, they sent me a message back claiming that I had "violated their Minor Safety Policy" and would not be restoring my account. I went to their Community Standards and read said policy, which just says "no child pornography" then sent them multiple messages appealing their decision. Messages that they chose to ignore.

Angry and desperate to get my TikTok account back (making another one was not an option, as I had monetized mine and had made $500 on it that was locked into it and I wanted my money), I contacted an Account Recovery Specialist, paying the person money to restore my account. Meanwhile, every day, I signed into my TikTok to check the progress. Without giving me an appeal deadline, there was another message. This one read, "Appeal Deadline Expired". Underneath this, it said, "This decision can no longer be appealed because the deadline has passed."

Here's the kicker: TikTok never gave me an appeal deadline at all!

Where I stand now with TikTok is that out of the $500 I had earned on the app that was locked into my account when it was banned, I only got 5 cents. Now, it is claiming that my account has been suspended, not banned.

My final thoughts on TikTok are as follows: While the app is a good idea, what's bad is that TikTok is in desperate need of actual people reviewing violation appeals and their customer service department needs a complete overhaul. It also needs more humans working at it as well.