TikTok takes down 4.5 million videos from Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — In a span of three months, short video platform TikTok has removed approximately 4.5 million videos in the Philippines for violating its community guidelines.

Without specifying the nature of the violations, the platform said the contents were taken down during the third quarter of 2024, from July to September.

According to TikTok, 99 percent of the removed videos were “proactively removed” before being flagged or reported by users. Additionally, 98 percent were taken down within 24 hours.

TikTok on Thursday launched a new digital literacy campaign “designed to empower Filipinos to be more responsible and mindful of the content they create and share.”

Called #ThinkTwice, the campaign highlights the platform’s “proactive approach in collaborating with various sectors to ignite credible, meaningful and truthful conversations about digital well-being.”

“With #ThinkTwice, we aim to cultivate a more informed and responsible digital community in the Philippines. We believe in the power of TikTok to inspire, educate and bring people together,” said Peachy Paderna, Philippine public policy manager at TikTok.

“We aim to equip Filipinos with the critical thinking skills needed to navigate the digital world responsibly. Through meaningful conversations with experts and content creators, we hope to foster a culture where authenticity and truth thrive online,” she added.

As part of the campaign, TikTok tapped popular and credible content creators to share insights on online safety and digital well-being.

Among them are TikTok Safety Advisory Council member Mona Magno-Veluz, independent journalist Jacque Manabat and millennial psychologist Riyan Portuguez.

“Through #ThinkTwice, TikTok encourages users to think critically about the content they post and share while reminding them of their role in maintaining a safe online space,” the platform said.

“Users are also urged to report harmful or misleading content using TikTok’s easy-to-use in-app reporting feature to help prevent the rapid spread of misinformation,” it added.