Kyrgyzstan Bans TikTok Citing Risk to Children

The Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Culture has issued a directive to ban TikTok in the country, citing the popular app as a risk to children’s mental Health.

On Wednesday, August 30, authorities gave instructions to block the video-sharing app inside the Central Asian nation, in reference to appeals from non-governmental organizations.

“It should be noted that TikTok engages users in a virtual realm of brief clips, and subsequent to viewing these clips, teenagers attempt to replicate certain actions depicted in these clips, some of which endanger their lives,” the Culture Ministry said.

The directive came amid concerns that the government is taking moves to block free speech and the flow of information.

Furthermore, access to information through social media and the general media remains a heated debate in Kyrgyzstan after a series of moves by the government that many argue are aimed at stifling free speech.

However, TikTok did not immediately respond to the move, but previously has said it has safeguards to moderate content and protect minors.

Kyrgyzstan is not the first country to ban TikTok as several other countries have blocked the app, while others mulling pulling the plug.

Countries that have Banned TikTok

Somalia

In August 2023, Somalia banned TikTok over concerns of terror-related content. The government said terrorist groups are using platforms like TikTok and Telegram to spread “horrific images and misinformation to the public.

The decision to ban these platforms was alignment with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s commitment to eliminate the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab within the next five months through military operations.

TikTok, when approached for comment, refrained from responding, citing its need for official communication about the ban.

India

On April 4, Australia banned the app from all federal government-owned devices, citing security concerns raised by the Department of Home Affairs. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the ban would be imposed “as soon as practicable”.

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Technology commentator Trevor Long said any ban on TikTok would be a “slippery slope” towards a major amount of tension between Beijing and Canberra “that no one will accept here”.

More than 1.6 million Australians and more than a billion people worldwide have downloaded the TikTok app.

In March 2023, Belgium banned TikTok from the work phones of government officials. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a statement to Politico, “We can’t be naive: TikTok is a Chinese company that currently is mandated to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services.”

De Croo said the Belgian national security council had warned of the risks associated with the enormous amounts of data collected by TikTok.

Canada

Mirroring other countries, Canada banned TikTok from all government mobile devices in February 2023.

Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, said the partial ban is due to the app presenting “an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”

“The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices and is in line with the approach of our international partners,” she said in a statement.

Denmark

Denmark’s Defense Ministry banned employees from having TikTok downloaded on their work devices in March 2023.

Again, related to security considerations assessed by the country’s Center for Cyber Security, staffers were told to remove the app as soon as possible.

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United States

The United States has not banned TikTok, however, limitations are being put on the app across the country, with the federal government and more than half of US states banning TikTok on government devices.

In March, the U.S. demanded that Bytedance sells TikTok or face a total ban in the country.