TikTok safety calls help make women and teens feel safe during dangerous situations. A user could use it when they feel that there is an intruder, which could help deter the attacker with text prompts on the screen.
While millions are entertained with the dance challenges in TikTok during the quarantine, the social media app helps women and teens feel safe when needed. Users could turn to safety calls when they feel unsafe.
Features like mock FaceTime calls
The feature that has emerged on the platform is like mock FaceTime calls to prevent an intruder from harming the victim. Women and teens could make use of it, especially when they are walking home late at night or while in a rideshare.
A New Port Richey, Florida, mom-of-two, Kristie Bloss, said that it had made her feel safer. The 31-year-old musician mom explained that she had issues with people approaching her before, so she was excited to have the safety feature on her phone.
Wanting to help other people too
In April, Bloss first came across TikToker Mendy Perdew using the safety call video on her "For You" page. Immediately, she re-posted it so she could use it in times of need. She wanted it to be accessible, noting that she had used it a few times while riding her bike or walking her dog.
Bloss shared that Perdew's safety calls are good because of her sharp voice.
@mendyperdew @thislife85 stay safe out there, friend. #safetycall #invisawear #fakecall #rescue #call ♬ original sound - Mendy Perdew
A South Carolina costume designer and a Beaufort mom, Perdew, explained that she wanted to help her friends, so she started creating safety calls. Then, she started sharing them on TikTok. Perdew told Good Morning America that she used to be terrified when leaving from work.
She noted that when she walks out of the mall parking lot where she works at ten in the evening, she would be afraid. She believes that many face the same fears at one time or another, so she created the video.
Perdew wanted to help her mom, friends, and co-workers who have been in the same position as her. After her first post, she received requests to do some more. One of her videos that have garnered 1.1 million views was when she pretended to be a user's best friend.
You will hear in the video her asking the viewer if she is nearly at "the corner" in their meetup place. Then, Perdew would ask if the viewer is okay during the conversation.
Many do not feel safe walking alone
According to a non-scientific survey done by YouGov in 2019, 50 percent of American women feel unsafe while walking alone at night. From the same survey, 59 percent said they do not feel safe while walking alone down the alley.
Thirteen percent of women noted that they are afraid while riding alone in a taxi or rideshare service.
