TikTok Has Been Banned In India; HC Says TikTok Is Polluting Youngsters
Immensely popular video app TikTok has been banned in India. Madras High Court announced this ban, as according to them, TikTok is polluting youngsters, and helping them to become victims of cybercrime.
TikTok is a Chinese app, and more than 500 million users have downloaded the app globally.
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Madras High Court To Govt.: Ban TikTok In India
A bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and SS Sundar ordered the Govt. to immediately place a blanket ban on TikTok, across India. No India should be able to download the app, and use it.
TikTok app allows users to create lip-synced short videos based on songs, comedy scenes, and movie dialogues. More than 100 million Indians have downloaded TikTok, and there are 20 million active users of the app in India.
While announcing the verdict, the Court ruled: “By becoming addicted to Tik Tok App., and similar Apps., or cyber games, the future of the youngsters and mindset of the children are spoiled.“
TokTok Banned In India: The Reason
The Court announced the ban while hearing a petition to ban the app in India, and as per the ruling announced, it is clear that Bench supported their arguments.
The primary reason for TikTok’s ban in India, as per the Madras High Court is that, children and youngsters are getting ‘spoiled’, and their minds are being ‘polluted’.
The Court observed that TokTok videos expose Indian youngsters and children to cyber bullies, cyber predators, and this may lead to the kids being victims of cybercrime.
The Bench said, “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.”
TikTok Being Compared With Blue Whale
Madras High Court even compared TikTok with the dreaded Blue Whale challenge, which encouraged children to violent activities, and inflict self-harm.
The Bench said that after the exposure of Blue Whale, officials should have acted pro-bono, and banned such apps like TikTok from spreading in India.
The media has also been banned from using or downloading or broadcasting any TikTok video in India.
TikTok Ban India: The History
There have been some cases reported, wherein people have lost their lives due to TikTok. After a controversial video was shot in Tamil Nadu, and uploaded on TikTok, a youth lost his life.
Tamil Nadu has been propagating a ban on TikTok since February this year, and Tamil Nadu Information Technology Minister M Manikandan had asked for Centre’s help to place this ban.
As per some reports, the petition to ban TikTok was filed by someone who was backed by Tamil Nadu Govt.
After PUBG ban which hit Gujarat, this recent TikTok ban is the latest case of moral policing by the Govt.
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[…] quickly remove content that glorified acid attacks, molestation, etc. An Indian court in 2019 had banned TikTok in 2019 saying the app pollutes youngsters. The Madras High Court at the time, while […]