RAMANATHAPURAM
Minister for Information Technology M. Manikandan has reiterated that the government is keen on approaching the Centre seeking a ban on Chinese video app ‘TikTok’ as it ‘misled the younger generation and paved way for cultural degradation’.
In a brief chat with reporters here on Sunday, he said as he had made it clear in the Assembly that the government would soon approach the Centre with a request to ban the app on the lines of banning ‘Blue Whale’ game, which had posed a threat to the lives of children and youngsters.
The State government had made ready a letter to be sent to the Centre to ban the app. After Nagapattinam MLA Thamimun Ansari had raised the issue in the Assembly, he had been getting requests from political party leaders, parents and general public to ban the app, he said.
When Blue Whale game posed a threat to the lives of youngsters and schoolchildren, he personally took up the issue with his counterpart at the Centre while attending a conference of Information Technology Ministers in Delhi and prevailed upon the Centre to ban the game.
As all sections of society complained that TikTok app posed a threat to the Tamil culture and tradition, the State government was taking all steps to ban it, he said.
The Chinese app company itself had come forward to deactivate the accounts of those who posted obscene and awkward content, he said, adding “this is the first victory to the Tamil Nadu government”. After getting necessary instructions from Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, his department would go ahead and secure a ban on the app, he added.
