Stephanie Lecocq/EPA
Emmanuel Macron
Douyin’s algorithm presents more educational content and has screen time limits for younger people compared to TikTok used in the rest of the world.
French President Emmanuel Macron has reignited the debate over TikTok’s influence on young people, arguing that China offers its youth an educational version of the platform while also offering a more “stupidizing” version to the rest of the world.
His statements, made during an event with readers of the newspaper La Voix du Nord, questioned whether the differences between TikTok and its Chinese equivalent, Douyin, constitute a form of “cognitive warfare”.
Macron stated that Douyin limits the time children spend in front of screens and prioritizes educational videoswhile the international version of TikTok offers content created to “numb young minds”. According to the head of state, China’s objective is “to export what dulls young minds, while preserving for its own population what makes young people more intelligent”.
Both TikTok and Douyin are owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance and share the same interface and underlying technology. However, they operate as distinct platforms. Douyin, launched in 2016, is restricted to the Chinese market and is governed by its censorship and algorithmic control systems. Chinese regulations prohibit materials considered harmful to national unity, culture or public order, and Douyin terms explicitly prohibit content that “distorts and denigrates” cultural values.
In 2021, China strengthened its Minor Protection Law, requiring platforms to impose screen time restrictions to young users. ByteDance subsequently introduced measures that limit use by children under 14 to 40 minutes per day and block access between 10pm and 6am.
The global version of TikTok, launched in 2017, is not subject to the same tight regulations. While the company has introduced parental controls and a “TikTok for Younger Users” mode in the US, these settings are not available in Europe.
To evaluate Macron’s statements, The Cube’s fact-checking unit tested both platforms by creating a profile of a 13-year-old user and comparing the feeds. Douyin’s algorithm mainly displayed educational videos, including science demonstrations, language lessons and instructional videos of music and cuisine. Kids mode also allows parents to refine content categories, further directing what appears in the feed.
The under-14 version of TikTok, on the other hand, featured more entertainment-oriented content, from viral dances to comedic videos often described as “brain rot.” However, TikTok also hosts educational content creators and, since 2024, offers a feed “STEM” dedicated to science and technology for users aged 13 and over.
For adult users, both platforms mix educational and entertainment material, although Douyin’s content remains subject to broader political censorship on the Chinese internet.
Allegations that China uses TikTok as a soft power tool are not new and have already led to institutional actions. In 2023, both the European Commission and the European Parliament banned TikTok on official devicesalleging cybersecurity risks and the potential misuse of data. The application has also been under threat of being banned more than once in the United States.
