The Viral TikTok Distress Signal That Saved a Kidnapped Girl

TikTok is huge, and it mostly gets a pretty bad rap. You're likely familiar with the TikTok bathroom challenge, right? It's the one where kids record themselves trashing their school bathrooms -- and now everyone has to hold it 'till they get home, cause high school bathrooms across the nation are in shambles and locked down during class.

But, like anything, there are some redeeming qualities when it comes to today's trendiest social media platform. And this story will at least make you grateful that it exists, if even for just today.

Someone using the signal holds their hand up with their palm facing out, then tucks their thumb into their hand and then closes their fingers to trap thumb.

A 16-year-old girl from North Carolina was rescued from her kidnapper thanks to a hand gesture that she learned on TikTok. The gesture was originated by the Canadian Women's Foundation in 2020, during the lockdown, to signal distress at home.

The idea behind it is that if a victim's abuser is nearby or watching, they can subtly signal to a friend, police officer, or in this case a complete stranger on the highway, that they are in trouble and need help. The signal has since spread across social media as a way to alert others to trouble.

According to the Canadian Women's Foundation, "Someone using the signal holds their hand up with their palm facing out, then tucks their thumb into their hand and then closes their fingers to trap thumb." Watch the video below to see exactly how to make the signal.

Back to the story of the 16-year-old girl, ABC 13 reports that she was reported missing by her parents on Tuesday. On Thursday, a motorist in Kentucky called 911 to report seeing a girl in distress in a vehicle on the interstate.

This is one video I'm going to show to my daughters. Did you know that In Texas alone, there were 49,110 missing persons reports in 2020 with 37,023 of those children? This according to The Center for The Missing.

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RANKED: America's Top 12 Best-Looking State Trooper Cruisers

Did you know that there is a brotherhood of state troopers called the American Association of State Troopers (AAST)? Their goal: PROTECT. PROVIDE. CONNECT. According to their website the AAST was formed in 1989 when a "small group of Florida state troopers had the vision to create an association that would unite state troopers across the country and assist them by providing valuable benefits and services."

Each year the AAST releases a calendar of the best looking state trooper cruisers. Ranking is determined by their Facebook followers. It's all for a great cause too. Proceeds benefit the AAST Foundation, which provides higher education scholarships for AAST troopers' children dependents. A noble cause by any measure.