Ban or regulate TikTok? Morocco is looking for a solution

The Education, Culture and Communication Commission in the House of Representatives has tabled a bill to ban TikTok in Morocco. Last December, the deputy of the Authenticity and Modernity Party, Hanane Atarguine, had questioned the government on this subject, asking to know the measures it intends to take to protect minors from the "harmful" effects of this application with "mediocre" content and conveying "values that affect the dignity of Moroccans". The application has 9.27 million Moroccan users, aged 18 and over.

"The question of whether TikTok should be banned in Morocco raises important considerations about the impact of this social media platform. TikTok has introduced new ways of talking about issues and exposing them, in a way we weren’t used to. For some, this is a problem... But when you think about it, it’s not TikTok itself that’s the problem, nor even the use of this application, it’s rather the way it’s used and the messages posted there. It’s about educating users on how to use it without encroaching on the freedom of others, attacking them, compromising their values, or putting their private lives in the public square," explains Kadili Abdelilah, president of the Tamkine Foundation, specialized in edtech, to Challenge.

The expert believes that there is "no reason" to ban TikTok, an application that "is becoming a powerful tool for creativity, personal expression and sharing experiences". "By banning TikTok, we risk depriving Moroccan users of a platform that can promote cultural exchange, the discovery of new perspectives and the opportunity to be heard on a global scale," he explained, however stressing the need "to establish clear rules and standards of conduct for responsible use of TikTok in Morocco. [...] Awareness campaigns can be launched to educate users on best practices, while encouraging mutual respect and tolerance".

The president of the APEBI federation, Redouane Elhaloui, advocates for "appropriate regulation adapted to our national realities". According to him, it is necessary "to adapt TikTok’s algorithm to promote more educational content, focusing on education, science and culture. In addition, the implementation of digital well-being measures, such as automatic disconnection of minor users after one hour of daily use, is essential to promote healthy and responsible use of social networks". And to conclude: "These measures should be designed in a way that effectively limits the possibilities of circumvention, thus ensuring the protection of our young people against the excesses of the digital world..."