Safety knowledgeable’s warning as cartoon TikTok filter turns into one thing very impolite

Online safety concerns have been sparked over a bizarre filter on social media known as “gingerbread man nails” which tricks users into looking at a bloke’s appendage.

When users click the filter, which starts with a cartoon of a gingerbread man dancing in the middle of the screen. It then quickly changes to a video of a man’s hand, looking at his fingernails.

But when is hand moves, his penis is seen in the gap in the bedsheets on the screen. The filter quickly gained traction with more than 2,600 TikTok users making videos with the filter, gaining millions of views.

READ MORE: Woman receives unsolicited penis snap from bloke – then plots perfect revenge

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It has since been removed from the app for violating community guidelines. However, online safety expert Steffo Shambo, of Shambo Consulting LLC, described the emergence of the provocative filter as “deeply concerning” as the use of cartoons could see it reach the ‘For You’ pages of younger users.

Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: “The viral “gingerbread man nails” TikTok filter is deeply concerning from an online child safety perspective. By initially showing an innocent cartoon character before abruptly switching to explicit sexual imagery, this filter exploits children’s natural interest in fun animated characters to expose them to highly inappropriate adult content.

“I’m alarmed by how easily this filter could appear on children’s TikTok feeds and traumatize young users. The juxtaposition of cartoons with pornographic images is a manipulative tactic to slip past content safeguards and target kids.

“TikTok and other social media platforms frequented by children have a responsibility to proactively prevent this kind of shocking, sexually explicit content from ever reaching underage users. More robust filtering, faster response in removing offending videos, and serious consequences for those who create these filters are essential.”

He added: “Parents also need better tools and education to protect their kids online. This is the only way we can preserve children’s innocence in our digital age.”

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A TikTok spokesperson said: “We do not allow nudity and we use a combination of technologies and moderation teams to identify, review and take action against content or accounts that violate our Community Guidelines.

“According to our most recent Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, of the videos we removed for violating our Nudity and Body Exposure policies, 96.5% were removed before they were reported to us, with 93.1% removed within 24 hours of being posted.”

The added that videos that have violated their policies in this instance have been removed.