TikTok users often reference something they call the December 22 incident, which often leaves viewers confused as to what it means. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
TikTokhas become the prime destination for all the latest viral trends and memes, with new videos constantly being created and shared across the platform.
Now, many videos referencing a ‘December 22 incident’ or ‘TikTok slideshow incident’ are popping up on people’s For You Pages, and it’s become the subject of ongoing speculation among users.
What happened on December 22 on TikTok?
The December 22 incident, or the TikTok slideshow incident, refers to the date when TikTok slideshows sharing adult content hidden in the slides were posted without moderators taking them down.
Noah Glenn Cartermade a videoexplaining why this date is the “most infamous day in TikTok history.”
“On that day, many TikTok users found out they could post [adult content] if they posted [it] using TikTok’s slideshow effect,” he said. “The [adult content] went mega, mega, viral,” he continued.
“For some reason, TikTok’s algorithm started recommending it to everyone on the app, and videos that were just straight [adult content] were getting millions upon millions of views and many of them weren’t even getting taken down.”
While there’s no official explanation as to how this incident happened, Noah believes that the moderation team was off for Christmas at the time, and couldn’t take down the posts until they were back in office.
Noah also pointed out that TikTok hasn’t completely resolved this graphic content issue, as similar incidents have continued to occur. One popular example is the now-deleted Pokémon 777 filter which would flash an NSFW image to users when applied.
Kawter Abed is an Entertainment Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. She is a journalism graduate and provides expert coverage of viral news, TikTok trends, and YouTube creators. She is also a big fan of Nintendo games and Netflix shows. You can contact her at: kawter.abed@dexerto.com
