Social media platform, TikTok, has teamed up with the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) to address the growing concern of online safety among African youth and parents.
The joint campaign aims to educate youth, parents, and educators on the importance of online safety, with a focus on creating culturally relevant content tailored to local languages and customs to maximize its impact.
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Tiktok has faced backlash, with a petition to ban TikTok in Kenya citing concerns about inappropriate content and hate speech, among other issues.
Although TikTok avoided a national ban in Kenya, it has been working closely with the government to address these concerns and moderate content on its platform. Similar challenges have been encountered in other African countries like Somalia and Senegal, where bans were imposed due to concerns about terrorist content and the dissemination of hateful messages.
As TikTok navigates these challenges, its partnership with the African Union underscores a shared commitment to creating a safer online environment for African users. Prudence Nonkululeko Ngwenya, Director of the African Union’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate, emphasized that this initiative aligns with the African Union’s ongoing efforts to promote safe online experiences and protect the mental health of young people through initiatives like the 1 Million Next Level Initiative.
Meanwhile, in the United States, legislative measures have been introduced requiring TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the social media platform or face a ban—a development that reflects the broader concerns about online safety and data privacy worldwide.
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