MPs urge Government to use TikTok to counter misinformation
A cross-party group of MPs has said the government should use TikTok to combat misinformation aimed at young people.
The culture, media and sport committee advised that ministers need to meet young people “where they are.”
That means engaging on TikTok and other social media platforms with individuals who are increasingly staying away from traditional news media.
According to Ofcom data, around one in ten youngsters aged 12-15 say TikTok is their primary news source.
Meanwhile, nearly three-quarters (71%) of 16-24-year-olds use social media for news – either instead of or alongside online news sites.
The call comes even though TikTok is currently banned from parliamentary networks and all official devices due to concerns over data security.
The Committee’s recommendations are part of a wider report on how to counter misinformation and conspiracy theories online.
The report said: “The Government must have a clear strategy for communicating with young people.”
These platforms are changing audience habits and fragmenting the sources people use to get their information.
The MPs collected evidence from more than 60 people while compiling their report.
BBC disinformation editor Rebecca Skippage told the Committee’s enquiry that broadcasters needed to be in the same social media spaces as those spreading misinformation.
Consumer champion and Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis also told MPs he had taken to using TikTok to counter the “balderdash” spread by other users.