Amid GOP criticism and accusations of reportedly propagating “pro-Hamas content”, TikTok clarified its stance, attributing increased pro-Palestine visibility to user engagement trends rather than algorithmic bias.

TikTok, the globally popular social media platform, has recently found itself at the centre of a political storm.

Republican politicians lashed out at the platform for reportedly deliberately promoting pro-Palestine content in the wake of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, suggesting a concerted effort to sway American youth towards supporting Hamas.

TikTok addressed the allegations in a press release, categorically denying any algorithmic bias and instead attributing the proliferation of pro-Palestine content to the prevailing sentiments among its predominantly young user base.

According to TikTok, the trend aligns with historical data indicating a long-standing preference for Palestine over Israel among younger generations.

The company cited extensive Gallup polling data, tracing back to 2010, which reveals a significant generational divide in sympathies towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

While older demographics have consistently shown positive sentiment towards Israel, millennials are markedly divided. This data, TikTok argues, demonstrates that the pro-Palestine stance among the youth predates the platform’s existence, countering claims of TikTok’s influence in shaping these attitudes.

Furthermore, TikTok admitted that the data on Generation Z’s views is relatively sparse, but the available information suggests a similar trend to that of millennials. This demographic insight is particularly relevant given that a significant portion of TikTok’s user base falls within the 18 to 34 age bracket.

Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, in an essay for the Free Press, raised concerns about TikTok’s affiliations, suggesting the platform’s influence by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

He pointed to the absence of Israel on maps on Chinese web platforms as indicative of the CCP’s stance, insinuating a similar bias in TikTok’s content promotion.

However, TikTok vehemently denied these allegations, asserting the neutrality of its algorithm and its design to reflect user engagement patterns rather than promote any particular political viewpoint.

TikTok’s statement also tackled the flawed methodology of comparing hashtags to gauge platform bias.

The company highlighted the regional and temporal variations in hashtag usage, noting that simply counting the number of videos associated with a hashtag does not provide an accurate representation of user engagement.

The release pointed out that while the #freePalestine hashtag is older and more established, the #standwithIsrael hashtag, though newer, has garnered more views per video in the U.S.

The company stated it removed over 925,000 videos since October 7 that violated its community guidelines, including content promoting the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

Additionally, TikTok has bolstered its moderation team with Arabic and Hebrew-speaking experts, underscoring its commitment to a balanced and informed review of sensitive content.

TikTok’s engagement trends in this case are not isolated.

Similar patterns are observable on other platforms like Instagram and Facebook, where the volume of content related to Palestine significantly outweighs that related to Israel.

This broader social media landscape reflects the shifting sentiments of a global, interconnected youth population.