Government should counter misinformation on TikTok – MPs

The government should publish advice for its departments on engaging with young people, including on TikTok, a group of MPs has said.

The culture, media and sport committee has been looking into countering disinformation online.

Its call comes despite TikTok currently being banned on government devices due to data security concerns.

Accurate information needs to be communicated in a “relatable” way, the MPs say.

The committee says that countering misinformation is particularly important for young people, who are increasingly turning away from traditional media and towards social media for their information.

It advises meeting young people “where they are” – with 15 to 24 year olds spending around an hour per day on TikTok, according to media regulator Ofcom.

The report says: “The Government must have a clear strategy for communicating with young people and adapting to the development of new apps and platforms which appeal to this audience.”

Some MPs do still use TikTok, despite the fact it is blocked on the Parliament Wi-Fi network.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has almost 20,000 followers, though he says he does not have the app on his personal phone.

“Grant knows that TikTok can be a valuable tool for communicating with his constituents,” a source close to Mr Shapps told the BBC in September 2023.

The Ministry of Defence also operates a separate account which has about 17,500 followers.

TikTok is under pressure in many countries over its links to the Chinese state – links it has always denied – with law-makers in the US recently passing legislation saying it should be sold or banned.

It has though endorsed the committee’s findings.

“We welcome this report’s recommendation that the Government should engage with the public on whatever platform they choose to use”, it said in a statement.

The government has responded to the committee report by saying it makes efforts to “reach people directly on the platforms they spend the most time on.”

It adds that the Online Safety Act, which came into law last year, “will also help tackle the root cause of disinformation” by requiring social media companies “to swiftly remove illegal misinformation and disinformation as soon as they become aware of it.”

But the law was criticised at the time by fact-checking service Full Fact, which said it did not go far enough “to address the way that platforms treat harmful misinformation and disinformation.”

The MPs took evidence from over 60 different people prior to publishing their report, including disinformation experts and journalists.

Among these were BBC journalists Rebecca Skippage and Marianna Spring.

Also interviewed were financial journalist Martin Lewis, Channel 4 journalist Georgina Lee and the chief executive of Full Fact Will Moy.