Terrorist organization and government of Afghanistan, the Taliban, ordered the ban of viral social media platform “TikTok” Thursday in their latest round of media and information censorship.
It is unclear when TikTok will be banned from Afghanistan exactly, but Taliban spokesman Inamullah Samangani said that it was necessary to “prevent the younger generation from being misled,” according to the BBC. Online multi-player game PUBG, various music, movies, and television soap operas have also been banned, with the Taliban insisting that they were leading young Afghans “astray,” the outlet continued.
TikTok is reportedly one of the more popular platforms in Afghanistan, particularly among young men who film short comedy clips for friends, the BBC continued. Almost two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population of 39 million people are under the age of 25. (RELATED: Saudi Comedians Roast Biden And Harris Like ‘SNL’ Never Would)
Roughly 23% of Afghanistan’s population are internet users, according to Bloomberg. TikTok and PUBG are the first apps to be banned by the terrorist group, the BBC noted. PUBG was banned for “immoral” content, the Taliban spokesman said, before continuing, “We’ve received a lot of complaints about how the TikTok app and the PUBG game are wasting people’s time.”
The Taliban movement bans the application “#Tiktok” and the game “#Pubg” in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/3woeVqFlvi
— THE GLOBAL NEWS. (@THE_GLOBE_N) April 22, 2022
The Taliban rose to prominence in Afghanistan’s leadership after the Biden Administration’s withdrawal from the war-torn nation last year, and have systematically banned various forms of entertainment, according to the BBC. Since taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has banned women from attending Kabul University and reportedly killed those not wearing burqas, despite promises to respect women’s rights.