00:00Is China using TikTok to dumb down European children ?
00:03Francis Président Emmanuel Macron recently claimed China is exposing the world to a cognitive war
00:12by keeping TikTok educational for children at home while dumbing it down abroad.
00:30What Macron is referring to is Douyin TikTok's twin app that only serves the Chinese market.
00:36Both are owned by ByteDance, share the same logo, the same concept and the same structure.
00:41To see whether Macron's comment about Douyin's content for children were true, the Cube
00:45used a VPN to download the app and created an account with a 13-year-old user profile.
00:50After scrolling for several minutes, most of the videos suggested in the feed seemed to
00:53be educational.
00:54They included clips of chemistry experiments, step-by-step guides to preparing recipes and
00:59even English lessons.
01:01Nevertheless, the suggestion that TikTok in Europe provides no or very little educational
01:06material to children needs nuance.
01:08At first glance, the feed shown to users under 13 does seem to be dominated by entertaining
01:14and comedic posts rather than educational.
01:17Yet since 2024, the platform has introduced an optional feed providing strictly educational
01:22content on science, technology, engineering and maths tailored specifically for 13-year-olds.
01:28It should also be noted that the adult versions of both apps are less regulated and show similar
01:33content which is shaped by the viewer's taste.
01:36Another factor that does lend credence to Macron's claims is the generous social media censorship
01:41enforced by Xi Jinping's government.
01:43By comparing Douyin's and TikTok's privacy terms, it becomes clear that Douyin operates under stricter
01:49rules that promote the Chinese state, banning content that seriously hurts national sentiments.
01:54.
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