Many nations have already banned TikTok for numerous causes, together with the danger of espionage by China, manipulation of public opinion, and the endangerment of younger customers resulting from violent content material. In 2024, the European Fee started authorized proceedings towards TikTok. In the course of the week of 11 March, the French Nationwide Meeting is ready to look at the creation of a board of inquiry to look at the psychological results of TikTok on minors, wanting specifically on the danger of suicidal behaviour and ideation.
Banned in January 2025 within the US, TikTok remains to be probably the most influential platforms on the earth, with 1.5 billion lively customers worldwide and 15 million month-to-month customers in France. One in two kids in France aged 11-12 has a TikTok account, in keeping with Arcom (the French Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication), regardless that the minimal age for signing up is 13. Common with youthful generations, it’s shaping their relationship with data and more and more competing with conventional media. However behind its viral challenges and widespread movies, there’s a rising concern: has TikTok change into an accelerator of misinformation and a covert instrument of affect? What’s the impression of its algorithmic mannequin on essential pondering and democracy?
Analysis reveals that TikTok is a breeding floor for misinformation. A research carried out between January and March 2020 discovered that 20% to 32% of movies about Covid-19 shared on the platform contained false or deceptive data. In 2022, an evaluation carried out by Newsguard confirmed these findings, exhibiting that 20% of stories movies on TikTok contained deceptive data.
Not like conventional media shops, the place sources are verified and fact-checking instruments are used, TikTok depends on an opaque and extremely personalised algorithm designed to maximise person engagement, with out regard for the reliability of content material, and with out data prioritisation or content material labelling. The extra viral a video is, the extra it’s promoted, no matter whether or not it’s true or not.
TikTok versus Twitter and Fb: What are the Particular Traits of Pretend Information Propagation
Opposite to Fb and Twitter, the place viral attain depends primarily on guide sharing and person interactions, TikTok instantly promotes content material to a large viewers with out requiring lively intervention.
A research by the Integrity Institute confirmed that TikTok amplifies false data greater than its opponents, regardless that X (Twitter) is understood to unfold false data six instances sooner than true data. This dynamic fuels a phenomenon of elevated misinformation the place false data circulates sooner and extra broadly than verified data.
TikTok’s participating short-form video format is an asset for viral attain, however a hindrance to essential evaluation. Not like YouTube, Fb or X (Twitter), which permit long-form movies, detailed articles or dialogue threads, TikTok imposes a paradigm of velocity, with movies usually lasting between 15 and 60 seconds.
Penalties :
- No time to dig deeper or contextualise data
- Customers devour passively with out checking
- A placing piece of pretend information turns into extra credible than an in depth denial.
Steady Scrolling and an Algorithm that Promotes Misinformation
TikTok’s infinite scroll, the place movies play one after one other with out interruption, encourages passive consumption of content material. This format limits the time obtainable for reflection and verification of data, thus amplifying the viral attain of unverified movies.
This dynamic encourages computational propaganda i.e. using algorithms, automation and anonymity to govern public opinion and massively disseminate deceptive content material. In sensible phrases, automated bots can be utilized to share movies in a coordinated method, giving a misunderstanding of widespread assist. That is how infinite scrolling turns into a strategic lever for the large-scale dissemination of disinformation.
In Might 2024, the NGO World Witness demonstrated the platform’s lack of ability to detect commercials containing false data, explicit throughout election campaigns, regardless of an overhaul of its moderation in October 2024 to assist AI.
TikTok additionally makes use of refined audio methods to govern opinion, thereby reinforcing the unfold of misinformation. By amplifying emotion and viral attain, audio content material facilitates the mass dissemination of misinformation.
Younger Folks, a Prime Goal
In keeping with a Statista survey, carried out between April 2023 and March 2024, 69% of French adults underneath the age of 30 repeatedly use TikTok, demonstrating the app’s rising affect on this age group. On the identical time, an Ifop research revealed that 69% of 18-24 12 months olds imagine at the very least one scientific falsehood, illustrating the size of the problem by way of data literacy.
Nonetheless, TikTok has a significant affect on the perceptions of youthful generations, significantly because of the absence of any dialogue about concepts. Like different platforms, its algorithm tends to accentuate the “filter bubble” impact, trapping customers in data environments that consolidate their beliefs by providing them content material that aligns with these beliefs.
This phenomenon has already been highlighted in research wanting on the function of social media within the radicalisation of younger individuals. This analysis reveals that jihadist teams exploit flaws in algorithms to unfold their ideologies via highly effective emotional content material.
Lastly, TikTok has broadly shared viral challenges that straight endanger the lives of younger customers. Examples embody the notorious “Blackout Problem” which includes holding one’s breath till passing out, and the “Skullbreaker Problem”, which includes tripping a buddy, inflicting them to fall and undergo critical accidents.
Does TikTok Endanger Democracy?
Accused of serving China’s pursuits, TikTok is now within the authorities’ sights. In July 2023, a French Senate report denounced the dangers of espionage and manipulation via information assortment by ByteDance, its Chinese language mother or father firm.
Extra just lately (February 2025), the Viginum report revealed that overseas actors had exploited the platform’s moderation flaws to affect the Romanian presidential election.
Internationally, a number of nations have determined to limit or ban TikTok.
Three fundamental causes clarify this choice:
Nationwide Safety and Digital Sovereignty
The United States banned TikTok in January 2025 resulting from issues that person information could possibly be accessed by Chinese language authorities. India had already taken this measure in 2020 amid border tensions with China.
Preserving Cultural Values
Nations resembling Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Jordan have blocked TikTok, deeming sure content material inappropriate or prone to trigger social and non secular tensions.
Defending Younger Folks and Addressing Violent Content material
Albania blocked the app in 2024, accusing it of encouraging harassment amongst younger individuals, and changing into the primary nation on the continent to utterly block TikTok (for one 12 months). The sharing of content material linked to terrorism led to Somalia’s choice to ban the app.
What are the Choices for Regulating TikTok in France and the EU?
In response to rising issues about TikTok, France and the European Union have adopted measures to control using the platform. In March 2023, France banned the set up of “leisure” functions, together with TikTok, on the skilled units of civil servants, citing dangers to nationwide safety.
Right here’s a full shot of the group of TikTok creators. pic.twitter.com/9NBBNeL6mC
— Kalhan (@KalhanR) March 22, 2023
On the identical time, the European Union launched the Digital Providers Act (DSA), imposing higher obligations on on-line platforms by way of the transparency of their algorithms and information storage, and offering for penalties of as much as 6% of the corporate’s annual worldwide gross sales within the occasion of non-compliance.
In February 2024, the European Fee instituted formal proceedings to evaluate whether or not TikTok had breached the Digital Providers Act, with explicit regard to the safety of minors and promoting transparency. These are the second proceedings of their variety underneath the brand new European guidelines, following these [concerning X (Twitter)].
@bbcnews There was a number of footage exhibiting devastation in Myanmar following Friday’s highly effective earthquake, however this one is an AI-generated pretend. #Myanmar #Earthquake #Quake #Thailand #Tremor #Injury #BBCVerify #AI #Debunk #FactCheck #BBCNews ♬ unique sound – BBC Information
The outcomes haven’t but been printed and there’s no mounted time period for these proceedings. The DSA offers the Fee the ability to impose monetary penalties. Nonetheless, a complete ban on TikTok in Europe can be an excessive measure – not foreseen by the DSA – and would require advanced political decision-making.
The European Union is presently in search of to strike a fragile steadiness between defending customers – particularly younger individuals – and upholding digital freedoms.
This text first appeared on eflexscience.univ and was written by Fabrice Lollia, Physician of Data and Communication Sciences, Université Gustave Eiffel.
For extra on the most recent in tradition and way of life reads, click on right here.
