TikTok can often feel intimidating.
It’s not just that the social media platform has more than two billion users, 83% of whom regularly upload new videos. It’s not just that there are 16,000 new TikTok videos added to the app every minute. It’s not just that it can be extremely difficult, at least for a while, to find TikTok content that interests you, friends, and followers.
Here’s what can be just as intimidating. It can seem that TikTok account owners — no matter their home country or native language — are conversing in terms that only other TikTok users can understand.
You might understand heritage online slang like LOL, BRB, and IMHO. You might even be aware of Gen A and Gen Z slang terms like “cheugy,” “stan,” and “rizz,” all of which are commonly used on TikTok (which is the #1 app among Gen Z and Gen A users).
When you open the app and are bombarded with TikTok posts loaded with words, phrases, and acronyms like “seggs,” “GYAT,” and “leg booty,” however, you can feel like you’re in a different world where you’ll never belong.
You’ll eventually decipher most of them from their context, but it’s smart not to start using the terms yourself until you’re comfortable with them — because some of them describe sensitive subjects.
“SA” is one of them.
What Does “SA” Mean on TikTok?
TikTok users might use “SA” to stand for the charitable organization The Salvation Army, locations like South Africa, South Australia, or San Antonio, or the phrase “same as” (which is often used in storyboards). Those would be just isolated uses of the acronym, though.
On TikTok, “SA” almost always stands for “sexual assault.”
Many users find that being able to post on TikTok about “SA” that they have experienced can be therapeutic. Some videos posted to the app describe ongoing threats of sexual assault or dealing with the aftermath of an assault.
Other TikTok videos are meant to heighten awareness of how common sexual assault is, or to provide advice on avoiding “SA” and guidance on what people should do if they’ve been a victim.
You may also see TikTok users denouncing their abusers, sometimes by name and sometimes in graphic detail (which may or may not violate TikTok’s terms and conditions or Community Standards), or some using “SA” in comments accusing posters of engaging in sexual assault on or off the platform.
Needless to say, sexual assault is more than a serious issue. It’s a crime.
If a TikTok post or comment promotes “SA” or abuse, it should be reported immediately. If there are ongoing sexual assaults against a user that can be confirmed, it’s a matter that should be reported to police or other authorities. TikTok is simply too large to address these types of issues without help. User reports help the platform keep the app a safe space for everyone.
Oh, and if you’ve been wondering about the other TikTok terms we mentioned in the introduction, “seggs” is often used to mean “sex” in an attempt to dodge TikTok language filters; “GYAT” is slang for “goddamn” that expresses admiration (it literally stands for “girl, your ass is thicc”); and “leg booty” is a phonetic term that (for some reason) substitutes for LGBTQ.
See? You’re already becoming less intimidated by TikTok’s native language.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.