Britain shouldn’t wait for America to ban TikTok

TikTok’s success provides a striking example of Western complacency towards its own survival. After a decade shaped by the disruptive influence of American social media behemoths such as X and Facebook, our governments have permitted the stratospheric growth of a China-owned platform with an even greater capacity for malign influence. With Beijing’s intentions for global economic and military dominance growing clearer by the day, the deteriorating geopolitical landscape has laid bare just how wilfully naive the West has been towards adversaries playing a sophisticated long game. 

Each day that passes without regulation, TikTok becomes more embedded as an information source for young citizens. Meanwhile, all of Britain’s major political parties – including the Conservatives, who banned the app’s use in Whitehall when in power – are increasing their perverse dependence on a means of voter communication and campaigning they do not control.