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The popularity of the social media platform TikTok has been raising concerns in Egypt to the point that demands to ban the platform reached Parliament yesterday.
MP Essam Diab proposed banning TikTok in Egypt after sending a letter to the Communication Minister demanding an absolute ban.
He revealed his reasons behind the proposal on his Facebook page, stating that TikTok is: "The platform that corrupts our society the most" and "It is the most dangerous platform for our eastern society and its nature."
He went on to say that the platform actively spreads misinformation and messages that aim to destroy society.
The MP concluded by saying that the platform has an agenda against the future of the current generation and seeks to eliminate the identity of Egyptian families.
TikTok has more than 32 million users in Egypt, with most of the users being teenagers and young adults, and several of those users have been arrested for posts deemed inappropriate over the past several years.
The proposal sparked a debate on freedom of expression, with critics of the decision claiming that the move would stifle creativity and does not address the root causes of societal issues.
“It is more effective to educate young people about the responsible use of social media rather than resorting to censorship,” added Mohammad Awad, an information technology expert.
TikTok was briefly banned in Egypt in 2020, though the decision was overturned, and the app continues to operate under much scrutiny.
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