Turns out TikTok isn’t just for funny dance videos and political content. The platform is helping to spread awareness of important social issues—viral content on TikTok is even saving lives. A teenager who was kidnapped was found after using a distress signal, popular on TikTok, that was picked up by a driver. The unidentified 16-year-old girl went missing in North Carolina on Nov. 2 and was found in Kentucky two days later.
"The complainant was behind the vehicle and noticed a female passenger in the vehicle making hand gestures that are known on the social media platform 'Tik Tok' to represent violence at home -- I need help -- domestic violence," the Laurel County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The missing girl told police officials she had traveled with the man through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. Police arrested the man, identified as 61-year-old James Herbert Brick, for unlawful imprisonment and possession of child pornography.
According to The New York Times, while the girl and Brick are not related, they were “acquaintances.” Brick had taken the girl to his family in Ohio, but left after the family learned that the girl was a minor and had been reported missing by her family.
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After being rescued, she told Gilbert Acciardo, public affairs officer for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, that she had begun trying to get the attention of motorists in Ohio. While it is not clear how many people saw her do the gesture, Acciardo noted she even did the gesture when deputies pulled the car over.
“I don’t think any of us realized what that was,” he said. “But we certainly do now.”
Acciardo told the Times that investigators believe Brick thought she was simply waving at other cars and didn’t attempt to stop her. “This is probably the best thing I’ve seen come along in the 48 years I’ve been a patrol officer,” Acciardo said, speaking of the use of the symbol.
The gesture is part of a campaign called “Signal for Help” that spread across social media in 2020 in efforts to spread awareness of the rise in domestic violence amid pandemic lockdowns.
According to the United Nations, cases of domestic violence and abuse increased by at least 20% during lockdowns. Additionally, several studies worldwide found a spike in domestic abuse since the start of the pandemic, with significant increases in calls to helplines compared to the same time frame the year before, Daily Kos reported.
Introduced by the Canadian Women's Foundation, the gesture is a one-handed symbol in which one’s hand is up, palm is out, and thumb is tucked in with the other fingers folded over it. The symbol, which quickly went viral on social media, has been adopted by women around the world who need to discreetly ask for help, or show they are in distress.
Multiple videos have been made to act out situations in which the symbol can be used and to help bystanders understand how to recognize it. One popular video garnered more than 3.5 million views and 130,000 shares, in which a woman demonstrates how to subtly use the signal while on a video call with a friend.
According to The New York Times, the Canadian Women’s Foundation advises that those who see the signal should not necessarily immediately call the authorities, but should instead reach out safely, if possible, to the person who used it.
“It is a relief to hear that somebody was able to use the signal in a very dangerous situation, and that somebody knew how to respond,” Andrea Gunraj, the Canadian Women’s Foundation’s vice president of public engagement, told the Times.
“We’re very aware that as many as these situations that you might hear about in the news, there’s going to be thousands more that will never make the news that will be shrouded in silence because they happen behind closed doors,” Gunraj added.
According to BuzzFeed News, this isn’t the first known case in which the signal was successfully used. Two other instances have been reported, including one in which popular YouTuber Om Sayf made a video in which she said she would be quitting YouTube. During the video, Sayf made the hand signal. Gunraj confirmed with BuzzFeed News that Sayf is safe.
In the second case, a person told the foundation they saw someone use the signal on a Zoom call. While the signal has been successful, Gunraj noted that it is only the first step in helping individuals in harms way.
"The signal itself is not the action," Gunraj told BuzzFeed News. "The action is all of us being aware of gender-based violence and being nonjudgmental responders ... We have to be ready to respond."
Watch an explanation on how to recognize and do the signal for help below:
YouTube Video
If you or someone you know is experiencing any form of violence, resources are available 24/7 at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.
"The complainant was behind the vehicle and noticed a female passenger in the vehicle making hand gestures that are known on the social media platform 'Tik Tok' to represent violence at home -- I need help -- domestic violence," the Laurel County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The missing girl told police officials she had traveled with the man through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. Police arrested the man, identified as 61-year-old James Herbert Brick, for unlawful imprisonment and possession of child pornography.
According to The New York Times, while the girl and Brick are not related, they were “acquaintances.” Brick had taken the girl to his family in Ohio, but left after the family learned that the girl was a minor and had been reported missing by her family.
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After being rescued, she told Gilbert Acciardo, public affairs officer for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, that she had begun trying to get the attention of motorists in Ohio. While it is not clear how many people saw her do the gesture, Acciardo noted she even did the gesture when deputies pulled the car over.
“I don’t think any of us realized what that was,” he said. “But we certainly do now.”
Acciardo told the Times that investigators believe Brick thought she was simply waving at other cars and didn’t attempt to stop her. “This is probably the best thing I’ve seen come along in the 48 years I’ve been a patrol officer,” Acciardo said, speaking of the use of the symbol.
The gesture is part of a campaign called “Signal for Help” that spread across social media in 2020 in efforts to spread awareness of the rise in domestic violence amid pandemic lockdowns.
According to the United Nations, cases of domestic violence and abuse increased by at least 20% during lockdowns. Additionally, several studies worldwide found a spike in domestic abuse since the start of the pandemic, with significant increases in calls to helplines compared to the same time frame the year before, Daily Kos reported.
Introduced by the Canadian Women's Foundation, the gesture is a one-handed symbol in which one’s hand is up, palm is out, and thumb is tucked in with the other fingers folded over it. The symbol, which quickly went viral on social media, has been adopted by women around the world who need to discreetly ask for help, or show they are in distress.
Multiple videos have been made to act out situations in which the symbol can be used and to help bystanders understand how to recognize it. One popular video garnered more than 3.5 million views and 130,000 shares, in which a woman demonstrates how to subtly use the signal while on a video call with a friend.
According to The New York Times, the Canadian Women’s Foundation advises that those who see the signal should not necessarily immediately call the authorities, but should instead reach out safely, if possible, to the person who used it.
“It is a relief to hear that somebody was able to use the signal in a very dangerous situation, and that somebody knew how to respond,” Andrea Gunraj, the Canadian Women’s Foundation’s vice president of public engagement, told the Times.
“We’re very aware that as many as these situations that you might hear about in the news, there’s going to be thousands more that will never make the news that will be shrouded in silence because they happen behind closed doors,” Gunraj added.
According to BuzzFeed News, this isn’t the first known case in which the signal was successfully used. Two other instances have been reported, including one in which popular YouTuber Om Sayf made a video in which she said she would be quitting YouTube. During the video, Sayf made the hand signal. Gunraj confirmed with BuzzFeed News that Sayf is safe.
In the second case, a person told the foundation they saw someone use the signal on a Zoom call. While the signal has been successful, Gunraj noted that it is only the first step in helping individuals in harms way.
"The signal itself is not the action," Gunraj told BuzzFeed News. "The action is all of us being aware of gender-based violence and being nonjudgmental responders ... We have to be ready to respond."
Watch an explanation on how to recognize and do the signal for help below:
YouTube Video
If you or someone you know is experiencing any form of violence, resources are available 24/7 at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.