When Simon Harris became Ireland’s prime minister-in-waiting in March, he used a popular platform to express himself: TikTok.
In a video with the word ‘THANK YOU’ written in yellow lettering, the man who will be Ireland’s youngest Taoiseach told his 95,000 followers about his rise from a “opinionated, moody teenager” who was frustrated by a lack of educational support for his autistic brother.
TikTok Taoiseach
Simon Harris, also known as the “TikTok Taoiseach,” is among a group of European politicians who have embraced the Chinese-owned social media platform, believing that the need to reach younger voters outweighs security concerns.
European Elections
With European elections approaching in June, mainstream politicians are wary of losing ground to fringe parties that have successfully used its short video format.
However, TikTok is coming under increasing scrutiny in the West due to concerns that user data from the app, which is owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, could end up in the hands of Chinese authorities.
Germany’s security agencies, for example, have warned against using the app due to concerns that it may share data with the Chinese government or be used to influence users.
Lawmakers in the United States want to force the platform’s Chinese owner to sell it or ban it from app stores. President Joe Biden expressed concerns to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Macron Reaches 4M Followers
TikTok claims that security warnings are unnecessary, and that it collects no more information than other apps.
To allay fears, it opened a site in Dublin last year to store European users’ data and hired a third-party security firm to monitor data flows.
ByteDance has denied using its product for spying, and the Chinese government has also denied having such intentions.
Simon Harris, 37, was an early adopter in March 2021, creating videos ranging from a 60-second budget summary with musical accompaniment to footage of him making a cup of tea while watching football.
Another was French President Emmanuel Macron, who has 4 million followers since joining TikTok in 2020.
Senior politicians in Germany have recently embraced TikTok, with Health Minister Karl Lauterbach becoming the country’s first minister to open an account in March. “Revolution at TikTok: it starts today,” that’s what he said.
“We cannot leave social media to the AfD”, he said, of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that surged to become Germany’s second-most popular.
On Monday, his boss, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, also launched his own TikTok account and stated on X: “I will not dance. Promise.”
The caption to his first TikTok video, set to quirky music, read: “We are just as surprised as you are!” (And, yes, the Chancellor is currently on TikTok.)”
Germany’s Top Ministers
Germany’s top ministers have long maintained a presence on other social media platforms. Scholz, the finance minister, the economy minister, and the foreign minister, as well as Lauterbach, all have Instagram accounts.
Reaching young voters is especially important because 16-year-olds in Germany can vote in the June European elections.
Mainstream Parties ‘Panicking’
The AfD is the most popular German political party on TikTok. The party has 411,000 supporters, with Maximilian Krah as its leading candidate.
“So all the other democratic parties are kind of panicking at the moment not to leave this important platform and the young demographic, the young voters, to this radical party,” said political consultant Johannes Hillje.
In one video, Krah encourages students to challenge left-wing teachers. Another scene depicts him giving dating advice to young men, telling them not to watch porn or vote for the Greens. “Real men are right-wing, real men have ideals, real men are patriots.”
Mainstream politicians seeking to emulate such reach face a dilemma because they are wary of using a platform from an authoritarian country.
Lauterbach expressed reservations about TikTok while acknowledging its effectiveness. “I don’t give the platform any legitimacy by using it,” he went on to say. To avoid data breaches, he purchased a separate phone for TikTok use.
To read our blog on “TikTok could be banned in USA until it’s sold off,” click here
