President William Ruto has announced his upcoming conversation with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, scheduled for Thursday.
The discussion will focus on addressing concerns related to the moderation of explicit content present on the Chinese video-sharing platform.
During a speech delivered at the Nakuru State Lodge on Wednesday, Ruto expressed his intention to bring up the issue of inappropriate content that has prompted a petition in the Kenyan parliament, seeking the platform’s ban within the country.
“We aim to engage with the global CEO of TikTok tomorrow morning to establish a mechanism for moderating their platform and eliminating negative content, similar to how we manage other platforms,” stated the president.
Bridget Connect Consultancy’s Executive Officer, Bob Ndolo, submitted a petition to the National Assembly requesting the prohibition of TikTok’s use in Kenya. Ndolo asserts that the popular social media platform exposes young individuals to explicit sexual content.
The petitioner argues that TikTok’s content is not suitable, promoting violence, sexual content, hate speech, offensive language, and objectionable behavior. This, according to the petitioner, poses a threat to cultural and religious values.
Despite the petition, opinions among legislators remain divided. Some lawmakers argue against a blanket ban on TikTok, emphasizing that the platform has created employment opportunities in content creation for the youth.
One such legislator, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, conveyed that while the petitioner’s concerns are valid, a complete ban on TikTok would not be the optimal solution. He proposed regulating the app’s usage based on age groups and content categories to cater to specific audiences, suggesting that an outright ban could harm the livelihoods of many young individuals who rely on the platform for income.
In the interim, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has directed the Public Petitions Committee of the National Assembly to assess the petition and deliver their findings by October.
Last month, ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo disclosed plans to regulate TikTok’s usage, especially during nighttime hours, acknowledging the occurrence of various ‘illegal activities’ during these periods.
