Labor MP sounds alarm on TikTok time bomb

Australian teenagers are tripping over themselves to create and share short videos on TikTok.

But a federal politician fears the social media app could be a ticking time bomb, after an American girl was banned from the app for criticising China's treatment of Uighur Muslims.

Labor MP Tim Watts has sounded the alarm over TikTok's censorship, raising questions about what it means for Australia when digital platforms are developed and managed by "illiberal" societies.

In a speech to parliament today, he urged the government to talk to the public about the potential pitfalls of the Chinese app.

"Questions remain about how the Australian government should respond when the opacity of foreign-owned internet platforms leave us wondering whether their practices are consistent with our values or laws," he said.

"The least we can ask for is that the Australian government ensure that it is in a position to inform Australian users of any problematic practices they may be subjected to on these platforms."

WHAT IS TIK TOK?

TikTok is a social media app that has exploded in popularity amongst teens and pre-teens in the past 12 months.

Used primarily on smartphones, TikTok allows users to create short videos from three to 15 seconds.

Most TikTok videos created are wordless lip-syncing mimes to popular music, often with the speed of movements sped up or slowed down.

Users can control the privacy of their TikTok "privacy" to range from being publicly viewable to only accessible by other users deemed to be "friends".