UK Prime Minister Launches TikTok Account to Engage Young Voters
AFP, London, 8th. UK Prime Minister Starmer has launched an account on the short video sharing platform TikTok. Although this app is banned on government devices in the UK, Starmer is still trying to directly interact with young voters through TikTok.
A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister's office stated that the prime minister's account can only be used after "security measures" are taken.
In the first video uploaded to Starmer's account, he said, "TikTok, follow me!" The video shows him and his wife attending the Christmas light ceremony at Downing Street.
The second video shows Starmer hugging Ukrainian President Zelenskyy outside Number 10 Downing Street, followed by talks with French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz to discuss ways to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In March 2023, London banned the use of the popular video application platform TikTok on government devices due to concerns about the security of its parent company, ByteDance. Most Western countries have similar bans.
Before the ban was implemented, the official account of "Number 10 Downing Street" had been opened during the time of former Prime Minister Johnson in May 2022, but it stopped posting new videos after only three months.
Now, Starmer's spokesperson said, "Most government devices are still restricted from using this short video platform, and our security policy towards TikTok has not changed."
It is believed that under the current situation where Starmer and his government's public opinion support is continuously low, this move is an effort to interact more directly with voters.
Despite ongoing concerns about data security, TikTok remains one of the most popular social media platforms globally, with approximately 1.5 billion users worldwide, and over 30 million active users in the UK.
Other leaders such as French President Macron, US President Trump, and Australian Prime Minister Albanese also use this platform.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1851016669420611/
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