TikTok Emerges as Kenya’s Top Misinformation App

2025-06-25 09:02:01

(MENAFN) A recent study by the Reuters Institute, published in its 2025 Digital News Report on Monday, reveals that TikTok has become the primary platform for spreading "false or misleading content" in Kenya.

Conducted between February and May 2025, the study surveyed 2,007 Kenyan internet users and emphasized the growing influence of online platforms as the nation approaches its 2027 presidential polls.

The data indicates that more than half of Kenyan participants (55 percent) regard TikTok as a prominent hub of misinformation—more than any other social network.

On the other hand, WhatsApp is perceived as relatively safer since interactions mostly happen in secure, familiar circles, such as private chats with "trusted" contacts.

Kenya continues to distinguish itself internationally for its enthusiastic adoption of TikTok, a platform owned by China-based company Bytedance.

The 2023 edition of the same report had already ranked Kenya as the top country for TikTok usage, with 29 percent of individuals using it for news.

This percentage has now increased to 38 percent, surpassing fellow Global South countries also tracked in the Reuters Institute’s survey—South Africa (33 percent), Nigeria (28 percent), and Morocco (24 percent).

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