AI systems and content moderation TikTok as a digital safety platform in shaping a pleasant environment: a qualitative approach

TikTok is an emerging and monopolising social media platform that allows users to create content, watch, share, and discover other users’ short videos. Even though TikTok fosters an environment of digital creative expression, harmful content can come in many forms on the platform and is often targeted at minorities. To protect TikTok users, Community Guidelines were created as a benchmark of rules to develop a feeling of safety while having fun on TikTok. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is used to recognise, filter, and remove videos on TikTok that violate company standards and community guidelines through the moderation process. This study discovers how AI systems and content moderation processes on TikTok can protect community safety from harmful content that goes through the users' For You page (FYP). Through qualitative approach and thematic analysis, 10 informants from the Trust and Safety team were interviewed and all data were transcribed, interpreted, and analysed by NVivo 12 software. Furthermore, the findings show that AI systems and content moderation processes are meticulously crafted to safeguard users' safety by actively monitoring and swiftly removing harmful content, thus fostering a safer online environment for users.