TikTok is a free social media platform that lets users create, share and watch short videos ranging anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in duration. The app gained notoriety for its viral dances, trends and celebrity cameos and can be a creative, fun platform for teens to enjoy. Now available in 75 languages, it has more than a billion active users worldwide (as of spring 2022) and is most popular with the under-16 age bracket. In fact, a 2022 Ofcom report found TikTok to be the most-used social media platform for posting content, particularly among young people aged 12 to 17.

The euthanasia debate, centring around people with either a terminal illness or an agonising incurable condition, is a complex one that’s been rumbling on for years. Of late, however, it’s gained a new dimension on TikTok, with some content creators gaining popularity for suggesting that assisted suicide should be available to those experiencing severe mental health issues.

Some of this material, often referred to as MAiD (medical assistance in dying), has accrued millions of views and – more worryingly – hundreds of thousands of likes, along with many supportive comments. It’s not the first time the platform has faced a dilemma over legal but potentially damaging content; this #WakeUpWednesday, check out our updated guide to TikTok.