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“If I Stay Silent, It Doesn’t Help Anyone”: Understanding How People Use TikTok to Talk About Sexual Violence

  • Laura Schwab-Reese
  • , Lynette M. Renner
  • , Duyen Quang
  • , Kellie Carlyle
  • , Isha Nair
  • , Kendall Chase
  • , Andrea L. DeMaria

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

TikTok is the second most popular social media platform among American teenagers, suggesting it may be a way to reach young people with sexual violence-related messages. This qualitative content analysis focused on what TikTok users share about sexual violence. The content of the videos fell into two primary types of information, people sharing experiences of sexual violence (i.e., what happened, how they responded, impacts of experiences) and people sharing other information related to sexual violence (i.e., education, raising awareness). The study results demonstrate that people use TikTok as a platform to share their messages about sexual violence-related topics, underscoring the potential of this platform for prevention and recovery messages targeted toward individuals who directly or indirectly experience sexual violence.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3311-3329
Number of pages19
JournalViolence Against Women
Volume31
Issue number12-13 Equitable Approaches: Addressing Gender-Based Violence ...
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

  • TikTok
  • disclosure
  • sexual assault
  • sexual violence
  • social media

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article

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