TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Researchers in Taiwan are increasingly concerned that TikTok is softening young Taiwanese attitudes toward China, potentially weakening their resolve to resist annexation.
A report by the Financial Times cites a 2024 poll from the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation, which shows people aged 20 to 24 are no longer the age group with the strongest Taiwanese identity, reversing a long-standing trend. While various factors may contribute to this shift, many Taiwanese social scientists and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians view TikTok as a significant influence.
Eric Hsu, a researcher at the Taiwanese think tank Doublethink Lab, is conducting one of the first systematic studies on TikTok’s impact on Taiwanese society. Hsu told the Financial Times that TikTok may not necessarily make Taiwanese youth identify as Chinese or support unification, but it likely reduces their apprehension towards China and their willingness to resist. Educators and researchers in Taiwan are concerned that TikTok exposes children to seemingly apolitical content that subtly fosters a more favorable view of China while cultivating negative impressions of their own country, with some suspecting this is a deliberate strategy by Beijing.
Lin Thung-hong (林宗弘), a researcher at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Sociology, highlighted that Taiwanese high school and university students, as the first generation of TikTok users, exhibit lower levels of political engagement compared to previous generations. Lin noted a significant decline in young voter turnout in recent years, warning that political disengagement among youth could have profound consequences for Taiwan’s future.
Preliminary research by Doublethink Lab suggests TikTok’s algorithm may guide users from benign content to more politically charged material. By creating accounts resembling Taiwanese students, researchers found that after engaging with dance videos, the algorithm began suggesting “soft” political content, such as interviews comparing Taiwan’s political weaknesses to China’s governance.
This trend aligns with findings from international research. Studies led by Rutgers University social psychologist Lee Jussim found that TikTok disproportionately promotes content favorable to the Chinese Communist Party compared to platforms like Instagram or YouTube. The studies revealed that heavy TikTok users often held more positive views of China’s human rights record and expressed enthusiasm for visiting the country.
The 2024 Taiwan Internet Report shows that TikTok and Douyin (the Chinese version of the app) are used by less than 22% of Taiwan’s population. However, the influence is far greater among young people, with 44% of elementary school students and nearly 60% of middle school students reportedly using the platform.
This growing influence extends beyond attitudes. Researchers have observed an increasing prevalence of northern Chinese slang, such as "niu" (short for “niubi” 牛逼, meaning “awesome”), in the speech of Taiwanese teenagers. Teachers have also reported a rise in Chinese memes and games among students.
Eric Hsu noted that even seemingly apolitical content on TikTok can carry political undertones. For example, Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) frequently features videos of farmers showcasing simple, hardworking lifestyles. This type of content might lead Taiwanese youth to view Chinese citizens as simple and kind, diminishing animosity towards Beijing.
Lin Thung-hong added that as cross-strait exchanges in tourism, investment, and education dwindle, platforms like TikTok are filling the gap. “As so many ties are cut, China tries to reach our young people through social media. That leads our youngsters, who have never been to China and know nothing about it, to develop illusions about it. Then they project their dissatisfaction with Taiwan onto that illusory China,” Lin said.