Minister condemns rise in sexually explicit content on TikTok
Minister condemns rise in sexually explicit content on TikTok, demands local regulation
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has condemned the growing volume of sexually explicit content on TikTok, describing it as “completely unacceptable” and “against Ghanaian culture and norms.”
Speaking at a ministerial briefing in Accra today (July 3, 2025) to update the public on key developments within the digital sector during the second quarter of 2025, Mr George revealed that the government had formally engaged TikTok’s West African government relations team on June 26 to address several critical concerns regarding content regulation and user safety on the platform.
“I’m deeply concerned about some of the content on TikTok. Live sex and explicit material on TikTok is completely unacceptable and against our culture and our norms. These were part of the conversations I held with TikTok’s team to ensure content moderation in-country,” he said.
As part of the engagement, the Ningo-Prampram Member of Parliament disclosed that the government had asked TikTok to implement in-country content moderation. This would ensure that locally trained teams, familiar with Ghana’s values and culture, monitor and manage content on the platform.
He also proposed the establishment of a local content governance framework aligned with national regulatory expectations, with the goal of protecting the rights of users, especially minors.
Mr George said the Cybersecurity Authority had been tasked to work closely with TikTok to conduct continuous surveillance of the platform and identify accounts posting offensive or culturally inappropriate content. He added that such accounts would be taken down and their owners permanently banned.
Beyond content control, the minister welcomed TikTok’s recent introduction of a STEM-focused content feed and encouraged its alignment with Ghana’s One Million Coders initiative—a national programme aimed at training a million young people in digital skills.
He also urged the platform to ensure fair compensation for Ghanaian content creators, who he said contribute significantly to TikTok’s global appeal and growth.
