UK parliament shuts down TikTok account over concerns from Chinese MPs

The British parliament closed its TikTok on Wednesday Account after MPs expressed concern over the ownership of the social media app by Chinese parent company ByteDance.

“Based on feedback from Members (of Parliament), we are closing the UK Parliament’s TikTok pilot account earlier than planned,” a parliament spokesperson said.

“The account was a pilot initiative while we were testing the platform as a way to reach younger audiences with relevant content about parliament,” he added, but the account has now been locked.

The protests were led by a group of lawmakers sanctioned by Beijing for speaking out against the alleged human rights abuses.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, one of those sanctioned, welcomed the decision.

“We need to start talking to people about not using TikTok,” he said.