In Kosovo, the social network TikTok has become a source of a serious problem among teenagers: dozens of teenage girls have been self-mutilating themselves by participating in a dangerous challenge that was spreading on the platform. According to AFP, the first cases of self-mutilation were recorded at the beginning of the year. School psychologists, initially believing that the teenagers were simply hitting each other on the arms, were shocked when a medical examination revealed dozens of cuts on the bodies of many of the girls.
School inspector Eranda Kumnova-Bachi noted that the children affected by this trend are aged between 9 and 17. For many of the girls, participation in the challenge was an attempt to cope with emotional problems or to test their own resistance to pain.
Thanks to TikTok, such challenges have become available even to the youngest, as the platform does not have mechanisms to reliably verify the age of users, which is a big problem given the app’s popularity among children and teenagers. Psychologist Mirevethe Aziri stressed that access to TikTok often goes uncontrolled both at school and at home, which increases the risks.
The situation has caused serious concern in Jakova, where educational institutions are now running special programmes to warn students about the dangers of social media. In addition, the Kosovo Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the case, instructing the police to take all necessary measures to identify the circumstances and prevent similar incidents in the future.
