A mum has urged TikTok users to beware of a distressing video allegedly showing a girl being beheaded.
The woman contacted Bristol Live after clicking on the viral video, which has also prompted a deluge of complaints on Twitter in the past couple of days.
The video appears to have been removed from the social media platform, but she remains concerned about the potential for it to be circulated elsewhere.
She said: "The video is deeply disturbing and it needs stopping as it will traumatise children.
"I couldn't watch it all, it made me feel physically sick.
"I only became aware of it when a friend's young daughter was sent it."
The woman, who asked not to be named, wanted to raise awareness particularly among parents.
She added: "Please keep a close eye on what your kids are seeing online - it's so concerning that these videos get on the internet for the youngest to see."
A screen shot of the preview appears to show a young woman or girl with long dark hair, wearing a black crop top and white shorts.
The footage allegedly starts off with her dancing, before quickly cutting to the violence.
Complaints about the video have been shared on Twitter in the past 24 hours, from people in various different countries.
One user wrote: "It traumatized my sister so bad she came to my room bawling her eyes out."
Another warned: "It starts out normal, (a TikTok dance) then cuts to her getting her head cut off, if you see the video or a link with “cat box” in it, do not click on the video or link - report it."
TikTok users can flag any graphic or violent videos by tapping the share button and then selecting 'report'.
Violent and graphic content is strictly prohibited on the social media platform.
Its community guidelines state: "TikTok is a platform that celebrates creativity but not shock-value or violence.
"We do not allow content that is gratuitously shocking, graphic, sadistic, or gruesome or that promotes, normalizes, or glorifies extreme violence or suffering on our platform.
"When there is a threat to public safety, we suspend or ban the account and, when warranted, we will report it to relevant legal authorities."
