The government is considering restricting access to TikTok for elementary and junior-high-school students by blocking it on campus Wi-Fi networks, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday.
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-jing (林宜敬) briefed lawmakers at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee for the first time since taking office last month.
He was asked whether the government would impose a comprehensive TikTok ban in grade schools, with some legislators saying that content on the platform could harm the physical and mental health of young students.
Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times
There are three major concerns regarding the use of TikTok: where the platform stores user data, whether the company is controlled by Chinese investors and the harm its content might pose for young students, Lin said.
The US government is trying to address the first two issues with TikTok, he said.
“We are working closely with the Ministry of Education to address the issue about protecting children from potential harm associated with content on TikTok,” he said. “Currently, TikTok does not permit children aged 12 or under to create an account, while users aged 13 to 15 are granted only limited access to the platform.”
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
“We are leaning toward limiting student access to TikTok by blocking it on school Wi-Fi networks,” he said. “We would discuss this matter with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Hopefully, we would have some ideas how the measure should proceed by the end of this year.”
Schools would not be asked to check students’ mobile phones, Lin said, adding that whether TikTok should be completely banned requires a public consensus, as it is a freedom of speech issue.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said that the government should compile a list of applications that might be detrimental to children, rather than just TikTok.
TikTok and Douyin (抖音) are sister apps owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance (字節跳動), with TikTok serving international markets and Douyin operating exclusively in China.
Separately, the issue of whether Douyin should be banned on school campuses came under scrutiny at a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Hsiu-pao (陳秀寶) said that deaths and injuries among young people taking on dangerous and deadly challenges on Douyin have been reported worldwide.
Despite the risks, student groups say that rather than banning Douyin, the government should teach literacy of potentially harmful content, Chen said.
KMT Legislator Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞) said that Facebook and Instagram have more fraud and disinformation than Douyin and Xiahongshu (小紅書, or RedNote), adding that banning students from accessing social media would trigger a backlash and hamper innovation.
Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said that the Executive Yuan’s Guidelines for Government Agencies on the Restricted Use of Products that Threaten National Cybersecurity (各機關對危害國家資通安全產品限制使用原則) stipulate that elementary and junior high schools must not have Chinese-made hardware or software, and content from Douyin and platforms that have little relevance to learning have been eliminated from the nation’s academic network.
Aside from setting clear regulations on student access to social media on campuses, Cheng said that the ministry would ensure students are properly educated to discern whether online information is accurate and genuine.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS