Hi all,
I’m reaching out for some legal advice after a really distressing situation involving my daughter and TikTok. Recently, my 15-year-old daughter filmed a fun skit with me and my youngest daughter (12) where I played along while she jumped out and danced to some music. We thought it was a cute video, but it has now been taken and manipulated by a TikTok account.
You should submit a DMCA directly to TikTok’s legal team. They have a short time frame to take the videos down. If the other person files a counter DMCA, the videos could stay up, and then you could go after them for damages for copyright infringement. Don’t use the forms on TikTok’s website—just fill out a DMCA yourself; you don’t need a lawyer for this.
@FelixFollan I’ve been reporting and doing this over and over. Videos keep getting uploaded on new accounts.
Like, if I take down “DramaTok2024” then “DramaTokMax24” appears and reuploads it.
Have you been filing a DMCA request over and over, or just reporting the videos? They’re not the same thing. A DMCA is under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Legally, TikTok isn’t responsible for the harassment you’re facing, but they are responsible for people violating your or your family’s intellectual property rights by sharing your video without permission.
I know it sounds strange, but that’s the law. You should use it to your advantage. Like the earlier comment mentioned, look up how to send TikTok a DMCA request instead of relying on TikTok’s own reporting system.
Where was the video originally posted? Your social media or your child’s? I really recommend setting your social media accounts, as well as your children’s, to “private.” This is especially important since the video keeps getting reposted and people are finding your info, which puts you in danger.
For general internet safety, avoid sharing your full name, your kids’ full names, and details like their school, hometown, and ages on any social media accounts. I’m really sorry you’re going through this…it’s freakin’ awful.
I suspect it might be my daughter’s account (she’s 15). As far as I can tell, it has always been set to private.
However, she did experience a bunch of suspicious login attempts and password resets back in June, July, and August, so it’s possible her account was hacked.
Has your daughter removed the original video? If you have to go the lawyer route this is one of the first things they are going to say to do. It sucks and none of this is your fault
TikTok doesn’t have control over accounts that repost videos; there’s a legal difference. The best approach is to just send DMCA takedown notices whenever you find the video. Trying to identify the accounts is going to be a waste of time. Focus on getting those videos taken down and move on.