The politics of Africa’s TikTok bans

TikTok is getting caught in political and moral disputes across several African nations.

In August, Senegal and Somalia banned the app, with calls to do the same in Kenya and Uganda.

While local governments and petitioners have cited security risks and morality as reasons to take action against TikTok, lawyers and activists told Rest of World via text and social media messages that the Chinese app is falling prey to politically motivated decisions.

“It seems it’s a political decision shrouded in a morality cloak,” said Mohamed Mubarak, a Somali policy analyst. “The government is unhappy about the political parody of the president and [prime minister] and is using ‘human rights’ as a justification.”

In its official announcement of the ban on August 20, the Somali government said its decision was based on the damage the app had caused to the country’s social morals and cultural values.

In an emailed statement to Rest of World, TikTok said it’s engaging with local governments and key stakeholders to arrive at a resolution that ensures it continues operations in Africa.

“At TikTok, we have over 40,000 talented safety professionals dedicated to keeping TikTok safe,” the email read. “TikTok is for users aged 13 and above. One of our most important commitments is supporting the safety and well-being of teens, and we recognize this work is never finished.”

Calling the ban undemocratic, Somali human rights activist Elham Garaad told Rest of World it was a government effort to censor the narrative and suppress criticism.

“In an age of social media, where diverse perspectives shape public opinion, these actions risk alienating citizens, eroding trust, and hindering progress towards a democratic society,” Garaad said. She also called the ban an extension of the government’s recent attempts to censor media workers and critical social media users.

In Senegal, the government blocked several popular social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, and YouTube in early June, amid nationwide demonstrations after the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

A subsequent increase in the number of videos criticizing the government on TikTok led to the app being blocked on August 2, according to Mountaga Cissé, a media and technology analyst.

“[In June], internet access and networks were cut off to reduce the spread of hate messages, according to the government,” Cissé told Rest of World over messages.

The Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), a community measuring internet censorship worldwide, shows that TikTok was temporarily blocked in Senegal, but only from June 5–7.

Cissé, who has also analyzed moderation on social media networks like Facebook and X, said both platforms are easier to control in comparison to TikTok, which he called “practically unblockable.” Both the Senegalese and Somali ministries of communication and technology did not respond to Rest of World‘s queries.

The petition to ban TikTok in Kenya was submitted by an individual named Bob Ndolo. According to Nairobi-based lawyer and social media expert Anyanzwa Brian, this was more about the platform’s unregulated content, and less about the government indirectly suppressing online criticism. Brian told Rest of World the government had other means of cracking down on its critics, including through arbitrary arrests.

“They have a unit that monitors online activities and then arrests and charges perpetrators,” he said. “It’s the unregulated adult content [on TikTok] that’s under scrutiny. Nudity and soft porn from content creators has been the norm from midnight every day. For an unrestricted platform like TikTok, there’s fear children have access to such content. Basically, the moral fabric of Kenya is under threat.”

On August 15, the Kenyan Parliament arrived at an agreement to not ban the app but seek content regulation. A few days later, during a meeting with the Kenyan president, TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew agreed to set up an office in the country to appropriately moderate content.

Despite the growing concerns over safety and security breaches, TikTok continues to gain traction among young Africans.

The app has gained popularity among Somali youth, who comprise over 75% of the country’s population. Young Somalis are finding earning opportunities on the platform amid the country’s high unemployment rate — 20.05%, as of 2022.

In Africa, platforms like TikTok are not only a means of entertainment and income but have also become powerful tools for citizens to expose corruption, nepotism, and ineffective leadership, according to Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad, chairman of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies, a Nairobi-based think tank.

“This increasing influence of online users has unsettled the government, which is uncomfortable with being challenged,” Abdisamad told Rest of World. “As a response, the government has resorted to banning social media sites to suppress online communication and control the narrative.”

TikTok has been dealing with government backlash in many parts of the world. In March, U.S. lawmakers questioned the company’s CEO about potential Chinese influence on the platform and said its short videos were damaging children’s mental health. The app has been banned in India since 2020 over security concerns, and faced temporary shutdowns in Pakistan, too. It is also blocked from government devices in the U.S., Canada, the EU, and the U.K.

In December 2022, efforts to force TikTok out of Egypt grew stronger after a 13-year-old was paralyzed while performing a dangerous viral challenge — it involved a group of people throwing around one person and then dropping them to the ground to test their strength. According to Mubarak, the TikTok ban in Somalia is only effective on paper as the platform is still working fine in the country.

Even government officials continue to post on TikTok, including Abdirahman Abdishakur, a Member of Parliament and Special Presidential Envoy for Drought Response. Some states, such as Puntland and Somaliland, have also opposed the federal government’s ban.

“The government is really in control only in South and Central Somalia, [but] federal government decrees don’t work elsewhere,” Mubarak said. “I doubt the ban can be enforced, but if it would, it would close a lid on the youths’ ability to let off some steam in Somalia.”