UK MPs call for TikTok strategy to combat 'misinformation' among youth

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
12 Apr 2024 10:25

A cross-party committee of UK members of Parliament urges the government to develop a TikTok strategy to combat "misinformation" targeting the younger generation.

The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. (AP)

A cross-party committee of UK Members of Parliament has urged the government to develop a TikTok strategy to counter misinformation aimed at the younger generation. This recommendation, part of a broader report released on Friday, underscores the necessity for government adaptation to new apps and platforms that resonate with younger demographics, who are increasingly disengaging from traditional news outlets.

In addition to advocating for the utilization of new platforms, such as TikTok, the report emphasizes the importance of leveraging "trusted voices" like scientists and doctors to disseminate accurate information and combat the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation on social media.

Ofcom data, the report added, reveals the significant role TikTok plays as a news source for young people, with one in ten individuals aged 12 to 15 citing it as their primary source of news. Moreover, the report highlights the dominance of social media among 16 to 24-year-olds, with 71% utilizing these platforms either instead of or alongside traditional news websites.

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A TikTok Strategy

"The recent growth of TikTok and decisions to disengage from or potentially ban the platform demonstrates how swiftly sources of information change," noted the committee. They also emphasized the rapid emergence of new apps and platforms saying, “New apps and platforms rapidly become major players, shifting audience habits but also fragmenting the sources the public use for information."

According to the committee, the government must develop a clear strategy to engage with young people and adapt to the evolving landscape of new apps and platforms catering to this demographic.

During its inquiry, the committee heard insights from BBC disinformation editor Rebecca Skippage, who stressed the importance of broadcasters being active "in those (social media) spaces" and learning from "the disinformation merchants because they are extremely good at getting people’s attention."

In recent years, TikTok has raised concerns for the government, prompting security apprehensions that led to its prohibition from official electronic devices and the UK parliament’s network.

“TikTok, we have a problem”: The #US is trying to ban #TikTok as part of its campaign to preach democracy and take it away from 170 million people.

Is the TikTok ban in the US linked to the flood of pro-#Palestine content?@RachelHamdoun pic.twitter.com/nJ2B2hbnSS
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 27, 2024

Despite this, certain Whitehall departments persist in using TikTok, with Defense Secretary Grant Shapps notably expressing his enthusiasm for the platform. However, his spokesperson clarified that he does not utilize it on official devices.

Following the decision to ban TikTok from government devices, Shapps’ spokesperson expressed concern, stating, "He is concerned that representatives of the people who deliberately choose not to engage with the public on the platforms that they actually use are unlikely to continue to represent these voters for long."

'Israel' leading propaganda campaign to limit Palestinian creators

Supporters of "Israel" are attempting to utilize online tools that allow them to suppress the reach of pro-Palestine content and flood them with pro-"Israel" propaganda using Artificial intelligence, The Washington Post reported earlier this year.

Experts are calling this a "citizen-led propaganda campaign," since the usage of the tools does not appear to breach platform rules against "coordinated inauthentic behavior," which refers to posts that appear to be from unconnected persons but are the result of an orchestrated effort, frequently via automated accounts.

Researchers also believe it's impossible to tell which comments were created by these tools since there's no way to publicly trace a user's private behavior across various applications.

Several pro-Palestine users claim that once their Instagram and TikTok postings were featured on the apps, they were either deleted or substantially downranked, making them less accessible to a big audience.

Nys, a Palestinian content creator who did not want to use her last name for fear of Israeli retaliation when she goes to the West Bank, expressed that each of her posts on TikTok was getting a flood of pro-"Israel" possibly AI-generated comments.

She also reported her posts are usually removed after being reported for bullying or hate speech. “I’m not using hate speech,” Nys expressed. “I’m just doing commentary on everything happening in Palestine.”

Another content creator, Laura Chung, expressed that after creating pro-Palestine content that was going viral, her TikTok account was revoked in December.

“I believe it’s these apps that got me banned on TikTok."