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This simple TikTok distress signal helped stop a 16-year-old girl from being kidnapped

TikTok distress signal

Domestic violence signal for help.

Just one hand gesture, a simple tucking of the thumb into the palm and covering it with fingers, was all it took to save a life. And now, the new SOS signal is making headlines with the aim of having it universally known and to save others.

This hand gesture was created by the Canadian Women's Foundation to make reaching out for help easier for people at risk of abuse at home during the COVID-19 lockdown. The "Signal For Help" was a silent, yet effective communication tool on video calls. In the video demonstration below, you can see that while the two women talk about banana bread, the real conversation is hidden.


One driver saw a teen using the hand gesture and recognized it from TikTok, where the videos had been going viral. The girl had in fact been abducted and reported missing from North Carolina and had been driven by her captor all the way to Kentucky. Though the girl and her kidnapper were reported to have been acquaintances, and she had gone with him willingly at first, it had quickly become apparent to her that something was off and she needed to get help fast.

Recognizing the covert plea, the driver immediately called the police to report suspicious behavior, then followed the car until deputies were able to stop and make an arrest. According to an article in The New York Times, authorities found that the man's cellphone contained images that "portrayed a juvenile female in a sexual manner." That man is now charged with first-degree unlawful imprisonment as well as possession of matter portraying sexual performance of a minor. And most importantly, that 16-year-old girl is back home and safe.

It's unclear how long the girl had been calling for help before one person recognized the distress signal, but the need to make it more universally known is apparent. In an interview with CBS News, Darlene Thomas, who runs a support group for domestic violence survivors, likened the signal to flipping the light on for the neighbors, or using a certain code word in a text, saying TikTok is "just another platform" to share this important information.

After the Laurel County Sheriff's Office posted a statement about the arrest on Facebook, one person commented "I mean maybe social media isn't that bad after all! Thank god this girl was saved!!!" Others commented that this should be taught in schools.

Social media is normally a whirling barrage of animal videos, weird memes and overall things to distract us from everyday life. But let's face it, it's our main source of communication and connection. One idea or piece of information can spread worldwide in a millisecond. When we use that to our advantage, social media can add a little more value than a viral tweet. And in cases like this, social media can be a force for good that can actually save lives.

Let this new "Signal For Help" remind us all to stay aware and stay connected. Sometimes the smallest gesture can make the biggest difference.

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

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Kids, man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed, but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know, the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks, then you're not the default parental unit.

One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok, where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret, they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.

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Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

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In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

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'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

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During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

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YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone's video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

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Dad gives his young daughter a 'spa day' while mom and sister are out and people are gushing

"This healed a part of me. Thank you for doing this with your daughter."

Mason Smith pampered his baby girl during her "spa day."

Raising kids is no small feat. Just the basic logistics of caring for a human being from their helpless newborn stage to the full-fledged adult stage is a lot, much less doing the countless other things that will actually help that human thrive.

Parents who go above and beyond to create a nurturing environment and build strong core memories with their kids are inspiring examples for us all, and one dad's spa day with his daughter has people positively gushing.

Mason Smith (@thedadsocial) shared a video of a special spa day he gave his young daughter when her mom and older sister were having their own pampered outing. "Mom and sister went to the salon so I couldn't have her feeling left out," he wrote.

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