TikTok invited to media committee over content concerns

Social media giant TikTok faces scrutiny and has been summoned to appear before an Oireachtas media committee meeting to confront growing concerns about content that appears to glorify illegal and dangerous activities.

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The deaths of five young people on the M9 was an appalling tragedy. My thoughts are with their families, friends and communities, as well as those injured and the emergency services who responded to the scene.

The urgent invitation comes in the wake of a tragic collision on the M9 motorway on Sunday, which claimed the lives of five teenage boys. The incident has been compounded by the circulation of videos depicting dangerous driving, including instances of individuals driving the wrong way on motorways. Committee chair Alan Kelly expressed dismay at these events, emphasizing the critical need for social media platforms to actively identify and remove content that promotes irresponsible or illegal behavior.

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In the aftermath of this tragedy, serious questions have arisen about the circulation of social media content which appears to glorify dangerous and illegal behaviour on our roads.

Kelly highlighted TikTok's significant influence, particularly with user-generated videos, and stressed the necessity for immediate action. He stated, "The deaths of five young people on the M9 was an appalling tragedy. My thoughts are with their families, friends and communities, as well as those injured and the emergency services who responded to the scene." He further noted that "serious questions have arisen about the circulation of social media content which appears to glorify dangerous and illegal behaviour on our roads."

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I expect TikTok to engage fully with the committee and set out the concrete measures it is taking to tackle content that glorifies dangerous and illegal activity.

The committee seeks a comprehensive understanding of TikTok's protocols. Specifically, they want to know how quickly the platform can detect and remove videos that glorify reckless or illegal actions, how it prevents the amplification of harmful content to broader audiences, and what safeguards are in place, particularly for its younger user base. "I expect TikTok to engage fully with the committee and set out the concrete measures it is taking to tackle content that glorifies dangerous and illegal activity," Kelly added. "We need meaningful action from social media platforms to ensure harmful content is not amplified or normalised."

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We need meaningful action from social media platforms to ensure harmful content is not amplified or normalised.