China app ban impractical for students: Deputy education minister

Taipei, Nov. 20 (CNA) Deputy Education Minister Liu Kuo-wei (劉國偉) said Thursday that the ministry will address the negative impacts of social media by strengthening media literacy education and supporting teachers, as banning students from using Chinese platforms such as TikTok and RedNote is impractical.

In October, Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said that the Taiwan Academic Network -- the internet system set up by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for academic institutions across the country -- has blocked access to RedNote, TikTok and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, citing concerns that short videos were detrimental to children's and teenagers' development.

However, the ministry is only able to control academic network access, not students' personal internet connections, Liu told the Legislation on Thursday.

Instead, the MOE will help students identify disinformation and enhance their online personal data security, while strengthening teachers' competence and resources through seminars and professional communities, Liu said.

He said numerous studies in Taiwan and abroad have found that many TikTok search results contain misinformation, and that the platform's algorithm often promotes content related to self-harm, including material about eating disorders and negative messaging about body image.

Such content has been proven to lower teenagers' body satisfaction and increase negative emotions, he added.

Meanwhile, main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said she hopes the MOE will step up its awareness efforts, noting that many of its media literacy publications have only about 1,000 views.

Liu Shu-pin (劉書彬) of the smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) cautioned the ministry against "over-regulation" that may affect creative developments, saying that "education should not be replaced by prohibition."

KMT lawmaker Yeh Yuan-chih (葉元之) also questioned the ministry's dedicated website for fraud prevention on RedNote, saying that there are more scams on Threads and that many other media spread false information.

Liu responded that the ministry welcomes relevant information and suggestions, and that it will conduct anti-fraud work on all platforms.