Graphic video of the shooting death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk and the chaotic aftermath at a Utah college campus on Sept. 10 was available on social media within minutes of the incident as millions of people watched, scrolled, forwarded and replayed.

The disturbing footage was widely seen across multiple digital platforms: Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, Instagram, and even Truth Social, where President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death.

Not all media platforms follow the same protocols when it comes to how and when to show sensitive footage, which is why Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, has been asking social media giants to remove videos of the shooting death of Kirk and the immediate aftermath.

"I have just received word from TikTok that they will be removing the horrific videos of Charlie’s final moments," Luna posted on X on Sept. 11. "Thank you @tiktok_us. I have also asked them to take down the content using this horrific incident to incite violence against others."

TikTok spokesperson Jamie Favazza wrote in a statement issued hours before the Luna post that the company was “saddened by the assassination” and that it “implemented additional safeguards to prevent people from unexpectedly viewing footage that violates our rules.”

“These horrific violent acts have no place in our society,” Favazza wrote in the statement provided to USA TODAY.

Luna added in a later post that “there has been full cooperation from every company I’ve contacted so far” regarding videos showing Kirk’s death. The right-wing representative and Kirk acolyte pointed to Roblox, Reddit and Bluesky as companies that she contacted.

Reddit confirmed to USA TODAY that the company began taking steps to remove the videos from the platform “immediately following the incident” and denied that it did so following a request from Luna.

“Our moderation team started seeing violative content around Charlie Kirk yesterday, and we removed over 100 experiences so far, and are continuing to take action,” Roblox said in a statement provided to USA TODAY.

Bluesky said in a statement that the platform has suspended accounts that “cross this line and have been removing graphic videos of this horrific event.” A follow-up email asking if Luna had contacted the company did not receive an immediate response.

Other platforms issue statements

Other platforms not mentioned by Luna told USA TODAY that they would be removing some content surrounding Kirk’s death.

YouTube said that the platform would remove “some graphic content” on Kirk’s death, particularly if it does not provide sufficient context for viewers, in an email to USA TODAY.

“We’re continuing to monitor this situation closely, and may remove additional content that violates our Community Guidelines,” YouTube said.

Discord said in a statement that it is “proactively preventing uploads of the video and actively removing related content that violates our policies.”

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, told USA TODAY in an email Sept. 11 that it is applying a warning label to footage of the shooting and is restricting videos to users older than 18.

“We are removing content that glorifies, represents, or supports the incident or the perpetrator,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in the email.

USA TODAY reached out to X, asking if the platform would remove the videos, but did not receive an immediate response.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Politician asks social media platforms to remove videos of Charlie Kirk shooting

Reporting by James Powel, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect