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Teenager shares safety tips that could ‘save your life’ in viral TikTok series

 (TikTok / @spencer.barbosa)
(TikTok / @spencer.barbosa)

A teenager is being praised on TikTok after sharing safety tips that could save the lives of her thousands of viewers.

Spencer Barbosa, an 18-year-old from Ontario, Canada, who goes by the username @spencer.barbosa on the app, where she has more than 3.6m followers, frequently shares useful information in her videos.

In one video uploaded earlier this year, captioned: “Personal safety tips that could save your life,” Barbosa shared numerous suggestions for keeping oneself out of dangerous situations.

“These are personal safety tips that could literally save your life,” she began. “You need to know this.”

Barbosa then went on to share tips such as to avoid stairwells at night and to never run with a ponytail.

“At night, more attacks happen in stairwells than elevators. Take the elevator,” she told her followers, before encouraging people to stop keeping car keys right at the entrance to their homes, and instead keeping them near their bedside tables, so that they can easily press the panic button if they need to.

In the video, Barbosa then advised women not to wear a ponytail when they run because it makes it easier to “grab and attack”. “Don’t. Please don’t,” she continued.

For the fourth tip, Barbosa encouraged viewers not to “overshare on social media,” explaining that she sees “so many young girls posting their locations, telling people they are home alone. Don’t.”

According to the fifth tip Barbosa shared, if you think that someone is following you in public, you should turn around so that they can see your face, as she claimed that a “group of rapists interviewed said that the target becomes less attractive after they’ve seen their face.”

Barbosa also noted that the tactic means you can also study the face of the person following you.

For the TikTok’s final tip, the teenager advised people to purchase mini bottles of hairspray to keep with them in case they are in a situation where they need to defend themselves, as it is legal and easy to carry.

The video has since been viewed more than 4.9m times, while a follow-up one created by Barbosa with additional safety tips has been viewed more than 3.6m times.

In the second video, Barbosa reminds her followers that anywhere there is not enough light to see their surroundings, they should not be alone.

Barbosa also encouraged female viewers to create the illusion that they do not live alone by placing a pair of mens shoes outside of their home.

“It pains my body to even say this but if you are a girl and you live alone, or you’re a group of girls that live together, go to the thrift store, buy a huge pair of workboots that are visibly dirty and visibly used, and leave them outside your front door,” she said. “It will tell the intruder that the big tough man is at home and they are less likely to invade your house.”

The advice has been widely appreciated on TikTok, where thousands have thanked Barbosa for sharing the tips.

“This was so useful,” one person commented, while another said: “Just by making this you probably saved so many people.”

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