The popular TikTok app is in danger in India as it seems. It is because the Madras High Court has asked the central government to ban TikTok. Yes, you read it right! The worldwide popular app made in China can be ban by the Indian government in the coming future.
According to the High Court, the app is encouraging pornography in India. The behind creating this app was to make short viral videos that you can share and which then appear on everyone’s feed. Only in India, it has 54 million monthly active users across so far.
The High Court decided to ban it after hearing a petition against the app, which claimed children using it were vulnerable to sexual predators. A Madurai-based senior lawyer and social activist Muthu Kumar has filed this petition against the app.
The Madras High Court has directed the central government to respond by April 16 on the ban of this app in India. Failing that, the HC intends to enact regulations to protect children online on the app.
According to a survey by Times of India in November 2018, apps like TikTok is the best place for paedophiles to satisfy their lust. One app at the time, Kwai (also Chinese), exhibited examples like a handle called ‘Gaon ki Bachchiya’. That handle frequently posted clips of girls 12 years old or younger dancing to songs. Surprisingly and worryingly at the same time, most of the comments on these videos were sexual in nature.
According to child safety activists, apps like TikTok can easily be abused to sexually exploit children. However, a ban against TikTok doesn’t make sense in that case, it is because there are a number of such apps available on the internet which are the replicas of TikTok. The government has to think about the more effective and preventive ways.