National Assembly receives petition to ban TikTok in Kenya

Speaker of Kenya’s National Assembly, Moses Wetangula has announced that the Chief Executive Officer of Bridget Connect Consultancy, Bob Ndolo has presented a petition before the Assembly requesting for the ban of the social media platform, TikTok in Kenya.

According to the petitioner, the social media platform is promoting violence, explicit sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language, and offensive behavior among the youth. He has further complained that the Communications Authority (CA) has not regulated the platform and things are getting out of hand.

Ndolo further argues that due to the lack of regulation and the app's addictive nature, the country may witness a decline in academic performance and a rise in mental health issues among the youth.

The petitioner alleged that TikTok collects a significant amount of data on its users including information about their device, location, and browsing history, and sharing it with third-party companies without users' consent.

He also referred to past cases when the platform has been involved in controversies across the world for illegally collecting data from users.

"TikTok has been implicated in several privacy scandals over the past years. For instance, in 2019, the app was fined $5.7 million by the USA Federal Trade Commission for illegally collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 by collecting data such as names, email addresses, and locations from young users without their parents consent thus violating Children's Online Privacy Protection Act," read part of the petition.

Wetangula has directed the Public Petitions Committee to consider the petition and present a report on the findings to the House.

However, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah has suggested it would be impossible to ban the platform in Kenya. He added that a complete ban on TikTok would result in thousands of young Kenyans losing their livelihoods.

The Kikuyu MP has advised the CEO to petition for the regulation of the platform including the age limit and the content. He has also suggested fines for anyone who shares explicit content.

His sentiment was backed by Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi who explained that banning the app would be disregarding the digital age.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri also called for regulation of the platform rather than totally banning it in the country.

"I am on TikTok and I use it to impact the children. Young people on the platform are making a living and we can not entirely do away with the content. Perhaps what we can front is the regulation of social media platforms including TikTok," she added.

In early August, ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo revealed plans to regulate the platform, especially during the night.

Owalo disclosed plans to amend the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Act to ensure Kenyans especially children are protected from the explicit sexual content shared on TikTok.

"The law is clear on the exploitation of children. We have laws but they must be augmented with personal responsibility in cyberspace," Owalo stated.