- The Ministry of Culture, Information, Sport, and Youth Policy announced TikTok’s inadequacy in child protection and age verification, citing potential harmful content access.
- TikTok, owned by Bytedance, faces bans and limitations globally, including recent actions by countries like Australia, the United States, Canada, Britain, and New Zealand.
In an announcement made yesterday, the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sport, and Youth Policy addressed concerns about the popular platform TikTok. Following a comprehensive evaluation, the ministry determined that the platform lacks robust user controls to shield children from accessing potentially harmful content. Furthermore, it highlighted the absence of effective age verification mechanisms for users.
The ministry’s scrutiny also underscored that TikTok’s captivating virtual realm of concise video clips has prompted some individuals to mimic perilous content after exposure. This captivating yet potentially hazardous nature of content has exhibited a detrimental impact on the emotional well-being of the younger generation.
As part of a trend seen globally, TikTok has faced mounting limitations and bans. Australia recently joined the ranks of countries prohibiting TikTok’s presence on federal government devices. The United States, Canada, Britain, and New Zealand have undertaken similar actions against TikTok in recent weeks.
In response to allegations of excessive user data collection, TikTok refutes the claims, asserting that its practices are no more intrusive than those of other social media platforms. TikTok has vehemently labeled these bans as “misinformation” and criticized the lack of thorough consideration and evidence behind them.
While TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance, it asserts its operational independence and disavows data-sharing with the Chinese government. Notably, the platform is actively pursuing a project to store U.S. user data within Texas, positioning it beyond the reach of Chinese jurisdiction.
