TikTok bans viral ‘milk crate challenge’ over safety concerns

The challenge saw TikTok users stacking milk crates into a pyramid and then attempting to climb across the unstable structure, TechCrunch reported.

Beijing: Short video platform TikTok has banned the popular “milk crate challenge” due to concerns that users participating in the trend could be seriously injured.

The challenge saw TikTok users stacking milk crates into a pyramid and then attempting to climb across the unstable structure, TechCrunch reported.

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“TikTok prohibits content that promotes or glorifies dangerous acts, and we remove videos and redirect searches to our Community Guidelines to discourage such content. We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behaviour whether online or off,” a company spokesperson was quoted as saying.

In most videos depicting the trend, TikTok users are seen tumbling to the ground as they try to climb up one side of the makeshift pyramid and down the other.

The ban comes after several healthcare workers took to social media to voice their concerns about the trend and the danger it poses to those participating in it.

Searching for the trend’s hashtag on the app now brings up a “no results found” notice, the report said.

The search results page notifies users that “this phrase may be associated with behaviour or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok’s top priority”.

However, some videos depicting the trend are still visible on the app if users search for incorrect spellings of keywords associated with the challenge, such as “milk craate” or “milk cratee”.

It’s worth noting that although these videos don’t have a significant amount of views, they’ve still managed to slip through the cracks of the ban and remain on the app.