Madras High Court directs Centre to ban use of TikTok app

Chennai, Apr 04: The Madras High Court has directed the Central government to prohibit the download of Chinese video share mobile application Tik Tok observing inappropriate contents made available in the app.

The development comes nearly two months after Tamil Nadu Information Technology minister M Manikandan said the state government will seek Centre's help to ban TikTok.

A division bench comprising justice N and justice S S Sundar have also directed media organisations in the interim order to not "telecast the videos made using the Tik Tok mobile app." besides directing the Centre to respond on whether a legislation similar to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, as in the US, can be brought in India.

"Majority of the teens are playing pranks, gaffing around with duet videos sharing with split screen to the strangers. The children who use the said application are vulnerable and may expose them to sexual predators .... Without understanding the dangers involved in these kinds of Mobile Apps., it is unfortunate that our children are testing with these Apps," the bench said.

Tik Tok is owned by Chinese internet firm Bytedance.