TikTok, a Chinese app known for making fun videos, has now dominated headlines due to its hand signal feature that has reportedly helped millions of people in the world, that even organisations including the World Bank and the Women’s Funding Network have promoted it since April 2020.It began as a Covid-era lifeline for women in abusive relationships, intended to be used on video calls as a signal that others should check in on them.One of such TikTok video recently helped rescued a 16-year-old girl after using hand signal as she was being kidnapped in the US.The girl flashed the hand signal from a car on a Kentucky interstate, the authorities said. It was created as a way for people to indicate that they are at risk of abuse and need help.As per the report, the girl, 16, was using a new distress signal, tucking her thumb into her palm before closing her fingers over it, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. The signal, created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation for people to indicate that they are at risk of abuse and need help, has spread largely through TikTok in the past year.After learning the fact the girl is not in good state, the person called 911 and conveyed a suspicion about the same. However, the dispatcher and officers were unfamiliar with the signal, sheriff’s deputies pulled the car over to investigate, and learned that the girl’s parents had reported her missing two days earlier.TikTok has gained the popularity worldwide, but this hand signal feature has now garnered spotlight after the kidnapping incident in US comes into light.Source: Tribune
