The Government of Somalia has announced a ban on TikTok and Telegram to “protect the society from moral decay.”
Communications and Technology Minister Jama Hassan Khalif said on Sunday that the government had also resolved to ban betting company 1XBet.
Khalif said in a statement that his ministry was “working to protect the moral behaviour of the Somali community when using communication and internet tools.”
He added that some of the technological platforms had “increased bad practices.”
Khalif tasked Somalia’s National Telecommunications Agency with implementing the bans.
The minister said the decision was made following a meeting in the capital Mogadishu with key stakeholders in the communications sector.
‘Affected lives of Somali youths’
Khalif chaired the Sunday meeting attended by the Director General of the Communications and Technology Ministry Abdiaziz Duwane Isaq, officials of the National Telecommunications Agency and the managers of telecommunications companies in Somalia.
“During the meeting, it was agreed that it is important to shut down TikTok, Telegram and 1XBet gambling platforms that have affected the lives of Somali youths and have caused some of them to lose their lives,” Khalif said.
The minister said the government will continue with its sensitisation campaign to “warn the public about the dangers of communication and the internet, which facilitate the easy dissemination of misleading news and information that harms innocent people or incites the public.”
TikTok, a video-sharing platform, had gained popularity in Somalia, with at least 20 influencers having more than 440,000 followers on the platform.