Government entities, celebrities and creators come together on TikTok to help its community stay safe and informed about COVID-19

Amidst the global concerns around coronavirus (COVID-19), short-form video platform TikTok is taking steps to help its community by providing access to accurate information in partnership with trusted health organizations, and supporting users around the world in ways that are positive and beneficial through in-app initiatives.

The World Health Organization, Dubai Media Office, and UNICEF are some of the entities now using TikTok to share useful content and shed light on how to stay safe. At the same time, many TikTok creators are also playing an important role in sharing tips on staying safe. 

The Dubai Media Office (@gdmo) joined TikTok to share educational videos about day-to-day safety and hygiene tips. “This is a time when everyone – and that really is every single one of us – must ensure that we protect each other and keep our communities safe by doing the right thing. Even though we are apart, we can be together online and virtually connect from the safety of home to content creation platfroms like TikTok, where we all have the ability and responsibility to create and share content that is safe, factual and helpful,” said Mona Al Marri, Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office.

Additionally, UNICEF MENA (@unicefmena) was live on TikTok the 28th of March to talk about the COVID-19 disease and give users tips on how to counter the virus, measures they should be taking to protect themselves and children and fight common misconceptions. The live streaming generated 230,100 views with concurrent views reaching a total of 29,000.

The World Health Organization (@who) is also present on TikTok to provide accurate information, provide reliable health advice, and reinforce practical ways in which people around the world can protect themselves. In partnership with @who, TikTok also customized quiz stickers in both English and Arabic that encourage users to be part of the safety awareness campaign by actively learning more about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Other than these organizations, the TikTok community is rallying together amidst these difficult times. An Arabic hashtag #معا_ضد_كورونا  aimed at keeping a united front and standing together against coronavirus, has garnered 302.6 Million views on TikTok, including from celebrities Raya Abirached (@rayaofficial), Ali Al Kalidie (@alialkalidie), Saif Nabeel (@saif.nabeel86), Somaya El Khashab (@somayaelkhashab), Maya Diab (@diabmaya).

In a bid to help spread awareness about tips to stay safe, digital series for content creation Sadeem (@officialsadeem) launched a mini challenge #من_دون_كورونا and encouraged its audience to highlight some of the common mistakes people are doing and that could spread the disease such as sneezing without covering your face with your elbow, hugging your friends and not washing your hands for long enough. Shadi Tohme (@madshadz) and Maram (@ana.beeko1) also shared their own videos educating users on how to be safe and sanitized in the age of COVID-19.