Name: Is China using TikTok to dumb down European children?
Uploaded: 2025-11-26T19:09:48.733Z
Duration: 1 min 59 s
Description: Macron recently claimed that China offers its children a more educational version of TikTok, while the version available in Europe is designed, in his view, to dull the minds of young people. The Cube compared the content found in both versions of the app.

Macron recently claimed that China offers its children a more educational version of TikTok, while the version available in Europe is designed, in his view, to dull the minds of young people. The Cube compared the content found in both versions of the app.

French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested that China is engaging in a 'cognitive war' by offering educational content to children on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, while providing less educational material to children abroad. An investigation found that Douyin's feed for young users is largely educational, while TikTok in Europe is dominated by entertainment, though an optional educational feed was introduced in 2024 for 13-year-olds.

The article also notes that the adult versions of both apps are less regulated and display similar content based on user preferences. Additionally, Douyin operates under stricter government rules promoting Chinese state interests and censoring content that could harm national sentiments.

Is China using TikTok to 'dumb down' European children?

Is China using TikTok to dumb down European children? France's President Emmanuel Macron recently claimed China is exposing the world to a cognitive war by keeping TikTok educational for children at home while dumbing it down abroad. For example, their TikTok, since it's a Chinese company, has nothing to do with our TikTok. It's limited to an hour of exposure per day and it's educational content for children. So they totally integrated that it was a cognitive war in which we were launched. What Macron is referring to is Douyin TikTok's twin app that only serves the Chinese market. Both are owned by ByteDance, share the same logo, the same concept and the same structure. To see whether Macron's comment about Douyin's content for children were true, the Cube used a VPN to download the app and created an account with a 13-year-old user profile. After scrolling for several minutes, most of the videos suggested in the feed seemed to be educational. They included clips of chemistry experiments, step-by-step guides to preparing recipes and even English lessons. Nevertheless, the suggestion that TikTok in Europe provides no or very little educational material to children needs nuance. At first glance, the feed shown to users under 13 does seem to be dominated by entertaining and comedic posts rather than educational. Yet since 2024, the platform has introduced an optional feed providing strictly educational content on science, technology, engineering and maths tailored specifically for 13-year-olds. It should also be noted that the adult versions of both apps are less regulated and show similar content which is shaped by the viewer's tastes. Another factor that does lend credence to Macron's claims is the general social media censorship enforced by Xi Jinping's government. By comparing Douyin's and TikTok's privacy terms, it becomes clear that Douyin operates under stricter rules that promote the Chinese state banning content that seriously hurts national sentiments.

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