'No Stupid Dancing': Why Is TikTok Banned in China Even Though It's Chinese? Italy's Defence Minister Asks

Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, speaking at a maritime forum in La Spezia on 17 September 2026, has questioned why TikTok is unavailable in mainland China despite its links to Chinese-founded ByteDance, while claiming children there are exposed to a dramatically different social media environment from their Western counterparts.

Crosetto contrasted TikTok with Douyin, ByteDance's separate platform for mainland China, arguing that young Chinese users encounter messages promoting education, sport and responsibility rather than the entertainment he sees dominating Western feeds.

Crosetto Questions TikTok Divide

'There must be a reason why TikTok is banned in China even though it is Chinese,' Crosetto said, before questioning why the content shown to Chinese and Western users appeared so different.

Technically, TikTok was not launched in mainland China and is unavailable there. ByteDance instead operates Douyin, which launched in China in 2016 before TikTok was introduced internationally the following year.

Crosetto nevertheless used the distinction to question what social media platforms are encouraging children to watch.

'If you look at Chinese TikTok, there is no stupid dancing, no idiotic picture,' he said.

The minister also brought his own family into the argument, saying his 13-year-old daughter was banned from using TikTok for as long as he could prevent her from doing so.

He argued that some Western content could encourage children to believe that a 'stupid' approach to life was desirable.

'The Messages Are Completely Different'

Crosetto claimed the content presented to young people in China instead depicted children attending school, tidying up, returning home to study, playing sports and helping others.

'The messages are completely different,' he said.

His description, however, simplifies the differences between TikTok and Douyin.

Douyin is not simply a Chinese feed within TikTok but a separate application operating under China's domestic laws and content regulations. The two platforms have separate users and content ecosystems despite their shared connection to ByteDance.

Experts have previously noted that ordinary adult Douyin contains entertainment similar to that found on TikTok, including dancing, comedy and lifestyle videos.

The difference becomes more pronounced for younger users.

Chinese authorities have introduced tighter rules governing children's online activity, while Douyin has implemented protections for younger users, including restrictions on screen time and a youth mode featuring educational material.

Debate Goes Beyond Dancing Videos

Crosetto's comments tap into a broader debate over how social media algorithms influence children and whether governments should impose stronger restrictions on platforms used by minors.

His comparison also raises a distinction often lost in arguments about TikTok: Western users and Chinese users are not accessing different versions of the same app.

TikTok itself says it does not operate in mainland China, while ByteDance lists Douyin among its products specifically serving the Chinese market.

That means Crosetto's description of TikTok as 'banned' in China requires context. The international platform was never launched there, with ByteDance instead developing its domestic short-video ecosystem around Douyin.

Still, Crosetto's central question is aimed less at the technical distinction between the apps than at what children are encouraged to consume.

For the Italian defence minister, the contrast raises a wider concern about whether social media is merely entertaining young Western users or influencing how they understand education, responsibility and everyday life.