TikTok trend threatens years of disability advocacy
Many people who are blind or have low vision have called social media giants to embrace stricter protections against harmful content in the wake of a new trend gaining popularity online.
The viral social media hashtags #BlindChallenge and #BlindKidChallenge prompts users without disability to imitate, or rather mock, members of the blind community in the name of entertainment, audience viewership and social media engagement, according to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
A spokesperson for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT contacted Powerd Media shortly after the initial story was published. The representative says TikTok responded to the request, claiming in an email to have banned the hashtag #BlindKidChallenge and removed hundreds of videos they deemed to violate their policies.