TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Digital Affairs plans to restrict TikTok access on school WiFi, as lawmakers call for a campus ban amid concerns over the app’s impact on children’s mental and physical health.
During a Legislative Yuan session on Wednesday, KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said that some lawmakers have recently warned TikTok could harm children’s mental and physical wellbeing and called for a complete campus ban, per CNA. Digital Minister Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) said his ministry has brought TikTok under its regulatory oversight.
Lin said the ministry’s concerns focus on three areas: data storage, whether ownership is primarily Chinese, and risks to minors. The first two are being addressed in discussions with the US, while protection for minors is being coordinated with the Ministry of Education and other agencies.
Proposed measures include banning TikTok accounts for children under 12, placing restrictions on accounts for ages 13–15, and using technology to limit access on school campuses. Lin said that schools will not be required to check students’ phones, and TikTok access would instead be blocked via school WiFi.
On a full ban, Lin said social consensus would be required because it involves freedom of speech. The ministry’s immediate focus is on protecting minors.
Hung added that child protection should extend beyond TikTok to other potentially risky apps, such as dating platforms, through a comprehensive review and classification system. Lin said the ministry plans to discuss this with the education and health ministries and hopes to have preliminary proposals by year-end.
