{
  "id": 2767545,
  "title": "I keep accidentally DMing TikToks to people. One of these days, it's going to ruin my life.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/i-keep-accidentally-dming-tiktoks-to-people-one-of-these-days-its",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-23T10:05:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-accidental-sending-dm-issue-2026-8"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sending accidental direct messages (DMs) on TikTok has become a common embarrassment for the user, Juan. The issue seems to arise when long-pressing the screen, leading to the video being sent to a chosen contact. This has happened to the user on multiple occasions, one of which involved sending a video to a professional acquaintance named Maura Johnston. Johnston, a fellow journalist, was among the first to receive such an accidental TikTok. The user feels embarrassed about these incidents, as the content sent was not particularly relevant or engaging for the recipient. The user, however, is not alone in this predicament, as their colleague Peter Kafka experiences the same issue, but with more practical content like news or sports clips. TikTok itself has been asked about the problem, but the user is uncertain about the cause and unable to provide specific advice. Two potential ways to accidentally send TikTok DMs have been identified: long-pressing the arrow button, which opens an immediate DM option with recent friends, or long-pressing the bottom of a video within a hashtag search, leading to a menu with sending options. The user has apologized to Johnston and feels a sense of relief that the situation has provided an opportunity to engage in friendly conversation. Despite the embarrassment, the user acknowledges that receiving occasional shaming for excessive TikTok usage can be a motivation to manage screen time more effectively.",
  "summary": "I somehow keep DMing TikToks to the same person by accident. It's really embarrassing.",
  "key_points": [
    "Juan accidentally sends TikTok DMs to contacts",
    "Occurred multiple times, including to journalist Maura Johnston",
    "Potential causes: long-pressing arrow button or video bottom"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}