In viral videos shared widely on social media, a black TikTokker named Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, known as “Mizzy” on TikTok, has been causing outrage online due to his criminal and obnoxious behavior. One of his most popular videos shows the 18-year-old entering a house in London with his friends, the caption on the video reading “walking into random houses.” He enters the residency in Hackney, East London, surprising a woman in her front garden, who calls out to a male inside. “Mizzy” then takes a seat on the couch before being asked to leave by the man.
O’Garro has several other “prank” videos of him harassing people and engaging in criminal activity. One of these “pranks” features the TikTokker entering a library and ripping up books. When confronted about the damage and the impact on others who would like to read the books, he responds with “who gives a f— about other people.” He uploaded another video of him harassing women at the Stoke Newington overground station, asking them if they “would like to die.” In a park, O’Garro approached an elderly woman with her dog and proceeded to pick the dog up while running away laughing. These videos have been circulating on the internet, with many weighing in on the abhorrent behavior of the teenage boy.
In response to the public outrage over the clips, O’Garro told The Independent that it does not matter to him whether the responses to his videos are positive or negative; what matters is getting more online engagement. “Controversy, even though it’s not good, is the best way to blow up on social media,” he said. “I always know outrage is going to happen. I know exactly what I’m doing and the consequences of my actions.” O’Garro also told The Independent that the reason people were getting upset over his videos was because he is a black male. He stated, “I’m a Black male doing these things and that’s why there’s such an uproar on the internet.”
Welsh Shadow Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Alex Davies-Jones described O’Garro’s content as “upsetting” and “abhorrent,” and took the opportunity to preach her support for the controversial Online Safety Bill, which is greatly contested by free-speech advocates. Davies-Jones tweeted that the boy’s actions are “yet another example of how we desperately need the Online Safety Bill to hold the social media platforms to account.”
In this case however, the Online Safety Bill is not necessary. A TikTok spokesperson said, “Our community guidelines are clear that we prohibit content promoting criminal activity. In relation to this issue, we have banned accounts for violating these guidelines.” Since the actions of O’Garro are illegal, his videos should be taken down according to TikTok’s own guidelines.
The Online Safety Bill was introduced in the UK Parliament in March 2022 and has been at the center of controversy, as many free-speech advocates and social media companies claim that the bill is a clear example of government overreach. The bill would give Britain’s broadcasting regulator Ofcom the power to regulate social media. The legislation would essentially put a stop to end-to-end encryption in the name of “safety” and would set new standards for age verification when visiting websites.
Earlier versions of the bill would have required social media companies to take down “harmful but legal” content. That provision was taken out, but under the control of Ofcom, social media companies must uphold their terms of service, even if it includes “harmful but legal” content, or face a fine. The Telegraph reported that social media bosses who fail to remove harmful content from platforms can face up to two years in jail. The bill has the potential to worsen social media censorship, as companies will likely engage in over-removal of speech in order to prevent breaching their own terms and services. The bill is over 200 pages long and has been in the makings since 2019, when it was a document called the “Online Harms White Paper.”
While politicians complain that social media platforms aren’t doing enough to take down criminal and abhorrent behavior, many wonder why O’Garro has not been jailed. In an interview with Piers Morgan, O’Garro himself stated that “UK laws are weak.” After online outrage over the TikTokker entering a private home without the consent of the owners, O’Garro was given a two-year criminal behavior order and a fine totaling £365 (approximately $455). He is barred from posting content to social media without the clear consent of those featured in the videos.
The outrage over O’Garro’s actions signifies a larger discontent over the unacceptable behavior that gains traction on social media. Trends that are created by attention-seeking individuals desperate for clout have real-world implications that often are not met with steep enough punishment. O’Garro and those like him see people, property, and emotions as vehicles to use for fame, with no regard for the impact on those they exploit. While social media companies should take down content featuring criminal behavior, the real solution is to lock up those who violate the law in the name of “trends.”
The problem is not that O’Garro films himself committing crimes that the public views on social media, but that O’Garro is not punished for those crimes in the real world. If clout chasers understand that “pranks” will be met with more than a slap on the wrist, it may deter more of these troublemakers from testing their luck for their fifteen minutes of fame.
