TikTok UK bans content hurtful to LGBTQ+ community

Tiktok UK announced that it has updated its guidelines to ‘remove content that is hurtful to the LGBTQ+ community by removing hateful ideas, including content that promotes conversion therapy and the idea that no one is born LGBTQ+.’ This announcement re-ignited debate in the UK about banning conversion therapy.

TikTok balances between building an inclusive social media platform and complying with national laws by localisation of content moderation. According to a report by Australian Strategic Policy Institute, LGBTQ+ content and hashtags on TikTok are shadow-banned in Russian and Arabic to comply with local laws, while the company brands itself as LGBTQ+ Pride supporter elsewhere.