Beneath TikTok's 'We listen, and we don't judge' challenge's humour lies a disturbing reality. Picture: nappy.co
An eyebrow raising and provocative new TikTok challenge known as the “We listen, we don't judge” challenge has taken the social media app and Mzansi by storm, captivating users worldwide with shocking and harrowing wild confessions.
This viral sensation consists of videos by a group of two or more friends where they share humorous, often shocking "confessions" with each other. The jury is still out on how true said confessions truly are.
Regardless, the challenge has global participants from around the world, but locally it seems to be popular among teenagers, their friends as well as their parents and university students.
Participants record themselves revealing outrageous or embarrassing secrets, real or fictional, often said to be “just for laughs” for the purpose of content creation.
@i.amndile We listen we do not judge . . #comedy #ndile_comedy #fyp ♬ original sound - Ndile ⭐️
It begins with the challenge catchphrase “we listen and we don’t judge” which is then followed by a confession and no one is allowed to judge, the aim is to continue until everyone has confessed.
Most of these confessions have been about teens sleeping with older men or having dated them, usually their transport/ taxi drivers or even their friend’s fathers as they say.
While this may be a light-hearted and harmless challenge to those that participate, it's important to acknowledge the underlying issues and also promote responsible discussions as the challenge brings light to societal issues that are already in existence in a lot of communities.
It is a known issue that older men often date teenagers with the promise of money or luxurious items they cannot afford, such as iPhones or are not allowed to even possess considering their age which leads them to using sex as a transactional deal.
Confessions such as “I slept with my friend’s boyfriend” or “I slept with my dad/uncle/step dad” spark a grave concern considering the amount of people, young women and teen girls that contract HIV/Aids daily in South Africa.
According to a December 2020 report, over 150 adolescent girls and young women are contracting HIV daily, a statistic which was the source of great concern for Mbulawa Mugabe, the South African country director for the UNAids.
@ziyandoo We don’t 🧑⚖️ @thembi_silly @bl6ack7 ♬ original sound - Zizzy
According to the South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM) report, South Africa continues to have the largest number of people living with HIV in the world.
That is why it’s important to address the social driving forces and risks of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases that come with having multiple sexual partners, instead of just joking about it.
IOL