TikTok seeks youth empowerment through its GE15 campaign

Ahead of the 15th general election this month, social media platform TikTok has unveiled a campaign that seeks to empower the youth.

The campaign - #BeliaSediaUndi - will include the launch of a bilingual dedicated election guide, strategic youth outreach, and strengthened policies for government, politicians, and political party accounts.

"We want to continue taking steps towards ensuring this content is safe, informative and most of all, accurate at a time when our users need to be kept abreast of the current situation here.

"We take our users' experience very seriously and want to direct them to resources and information on the platform that is trustworthy and reliable," said TikTok Malaysia public policy head Kristoffer Rada.

According to the short-form video platform, the campaign comes after the implementation of Undi18 - which is expected to contribute 5.8 million first-time voters - and seeks to equip the youth with the knowledge necessary to take part in the democratic exercise.

TikTok users will be able to utilise its election guide on the platform for polls-related information in both English and Bahasa Malaysia.

The platform will also be collaborating with Agence France-Presse (AFP) during this period, in line with fact-checking efforts to curb the spread of misinformation on the app.

No monetisation for politicians, parties

In September, TikTok revealed changes to its policies for accounts belonging to governments, politicians, and political parties that prevent them from monetisation opportunities on TikTok.

Implemented ahead of the upcoming polls, the policies will restrict accounts belonging to politicians and political parties from having access to the platform's advertising features.

This includes gifting, tipping, and e-commerce features on TikTok.

Accounts that fall under this category will also be denied the ability to share videos seeking donations or directing people to a donation page on their website.

This aims to allow people to discuss important issues relevant to their lives and situations while at the same time, protecting the “safe space” fostered by TikTok.

"We still do not see TikTok as a place for divisive political issues. The reason being consistent with TikTok's mission - which is to inspire creativity and bring joy.

"We still see TikTok as a place where people can express their genuine political opinion, yet remain respectful and not engage in a lot of the negative hate and divisive issues that are prevalent on other platforms," Rada said.

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