Trade unions and online safety advocates are calling on British lawmakers to investigate TikTok’s plans to cut 439 content moderation roles in the UK, warning that the move could undermine user protection and online safety.

The redundancies affect staff within the company’s London-based Trust and Safety team, responsible for policing harmful and misleading content on the platform. Unions say the job cuts could have “serious consequences” for content oversight in one of TikTok’s largest user markets.

In an open letter addressed to Chi Onwurah MP, chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Communication Workers Union (CWU), and leading online safety figures urged Parliament to open an inquiry into the redundancies.

The signatories warned that reducing the number of moderators could leave millions of young users exposed to harmful content, pointing to figures from the UK’s data watchdog estimating that up to 1.4 million TikTok users are under 13. The platform currently has more than 30 million users in the UK.

“These safety-critical workers are the frontline of protecting users and communities from deepfakes, toxicity, and abuse,” the letter stated.

AI replacement and union-busting allegations

The letter also alleges that TikTok intends to replace many of the laid-off moderators with AI-powered systems or outsource the work to lower-paid staff in countries such as Kenya and the Philippines.

It further accuses the Chinese-owned company of union-busting, noting that the layoffs were announced just eight days before TikTok employees were due to vote on union recognition with the CWU’s tech branch.

“There is no proper business case for making these redundancies. TikTok’s revenues are booming – with a 40% increase for the UK and Europe alone,” the letter said.

“Yet the company has decided to cut corners. We believe this decision is an act of union-busting – at the cost of workers’ rights, user safety, and the integrity of online information.”

Among the letter’s signatories are Ian Russell, father of Molly Russell, the British teenager who died after viewing harmful content online; Meta whistleblower Arturo Bejar; and Sonia Livingstone, professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics.

Calls for parliamentary scrutiny

The coalition is urging the committee to examine the broader implications of TikTok’s redundancy plans for online safety and workers’ rights, and to explore legislative measures that could prevent companies from offshoring moderation jobs or replacing human oversight with artificial intelligence.

In response to the letter, Chi Onwurah said the move appeared to signal that TikTok’s commitment to moderation was being reconsidered, “a matter of significant concern,” given the platform’s algorithmic role in spreading harmful or misleading content.

“TikTok told the committee of its commitment to upholding the highest standards in protecting both its users and its employees,” she said.

“How does this announcement align with that commitment?” she added.

TikTok rejects allegations

TikTok has pushed back against the accusations, saying the job cuts are part of a global restructuring aimed at improving efficiency and response times within its Trust and Safety division.

A spokesperson said, “We strongly reject these claims. We are continuing a reorganization that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for Trust and Safety, including concentrating our operations in fewer locations globally, ensuring we maximize effectiveness and speed as we evolve this critical function for the company with the benefit of technological advancements.”

The company added that it has engaged voluntarily with the CWU and intends to continue discussions with the union once the redundancy consultations conclude.

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