The decision by South Lanarkshire Council in Scotland was made with the intention of stopping pupils using school equipment to create
videos for the social media platform, which has exploded in popularity in
recent years.
An investigation by a tabloid newspaper
revealed that 19 of Scotland’s 32 councils have now blocked the app from being
used in schools, including in South Lanarkshire.
The move follows concerns that young users
can view harmful content on the platform.
South Lanarkshire Council’s head of
education Carole McKenzie said: “This is an app that is filtered on our school
networks so no pupil can use any school-based equipment to create videos.
“While we are not able to restrict what
pupils do on their own phones and devices using 4G mobile data that is not
linked to the school network, we do share online safety messages highlighting
the dangers associated with some of the apps available and encourage
responsible use of the internet.”
TikTok was founded in September 2016, and
currently boasts over a billion users online.
One in four people in Britain now use the
service, creating and sharing short videos. However, concerns have been raised
that the platform makes it easy to bully other youngsters, or that they may be
sent upsetting videos.
Andy Burrows, NSPCC head of Child Safety
Online, said: “TikTok has taken some steps to protect children on its site,
including no direct messaging for under-16s.
“But there is still a real risk that
upsetting and harmful content will be recommended to young users on this platform.
“This may be particularly challenging for
TikTok as its algorithms are so effective at making content go viral, but the
site has a responsibility to keep children safe and must find a way to overcome
this. If it does not, then the UK Government’s imminent online harm laws must
robustly tackle this and make TikTok accountable.”
A TikTok spokesman said: “TikTok was built
to provide a positive place for creativity, and keeping our community safe is
our top priority.
“We do not allow bullying on our platform,
and have a zero-tolerance approach for predatory or grooming behaviour toward
minors.
“We take action when issues are bought to
our attention, including permanently banning accounts and reporting illegal
behaviour to relevant law enforcement.”