Government bans of TikTok due to security concerns – and the resulting negative press coverage – has had an impact on how much trust Canadians put in the social platform, according to new research from Horizon Media Canada.
Earlier this year, the Government of Canada banned TikTok from being downloaded on government-issued devices, which was followed by similar moves from provincial governments. Though the exact security concerns were not specified, the app has been scrutinized by other governments and security groups for its data collection practices and potential links to the Chinese government, creating a potential risk for exposing private government information. Outside of government data, Canadian privacy regulators have also been investigating TikTok since February over concerns about whether the platform obtains “valid and meaningful” consent for collecting personal information from users.
Horizon’s research found that while Canadians are “skeptical” of a total ban on TikTok, 59% of Canadians say they have become more cautious about using TikTok due to data privacy concerns, with trust being low across age groups compared to other social media apps.
Attitudes towards TikTok, perhaps predictably, vary by age group. While more than half of Canadians over 65 consider TikTok invasive to privacy, only one-fifth of those 18 to 34 age feel the same way. In addition, while 18- to 34-year-olds are generally resistant to a full TikTok ban, 93% of those over 65 would support it. While sentiment among this group is unlikely to sway TikTok’s overall user numbers, Horizon points out that they are more civically engaged and likely to vote, which could influence policy decisions related to the platform.
“Negative media coverage has hit TikTok hard over the last six months,” said Simon Ross, VP of strategy and insights at Horizon Media Canada. “While it remains popular and essential for engaging with younger demographics, brands should monitor the rapidly evolving perceptions and sentiments toward TikTok to be fully informed of the benefits and possible risks.”
In addition to being less familiar with using the app, Horizon points out the concern among those over 65 may be due to the fact that they over-index on consuming traditional media, where headlines about TikTok have been “overwhelmingly negative.” In addition, there were 324,000 online posts discussing TikTok in Q1 (a 42% year-over-year increase) that generated 8 billion impressions (up 175%), but net sentiment about TikTok was -29 (a 207% decline).
Despite the bad press, Horizon points out that TikTok’s unique views grew by 13% year-over-year in February, according to comScore. This means that, should TikTok become inaccessible to Canadians, there is the potential for a huge shift in social traffic; Horizon’s research found that Facebook and Instagram would be most likely to fill the attention gap for users, followed by YouTube (all three platforms have been developing their own short-form video formats to compete with TikTok).
It also not only data concerns that are impacting perceptions of TikTok. Across age groups, 56% of respondents believe the platform is harming teens’ mental health.
