TikTok is cutting hundreds of jobs in the UK as it leans more heavily on artificial intelligence to police what users see on the app.
The layoffs will affect staff in its London Trust and Safety team, along with colleagues in parts of Asia. The company said the work will be shifted to other European offices as part of a wider reorganisation.
“We are continuing a reorganisation that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for Trust and Safety, which includes concentrating our operations in fewer locations globally,” a TikTok spokesperson told the BBC.
But unions and workers aren’t convinced. John Chadfield, National Officer for Tech at the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said the company was “putting corporate greed over the safety of workers and the public.”
“TikTok workers have long been sounding the alarm over the real-world costs of cutting human moderation teams in favour of hastily developed, immature AI alternatives,” he said. The announcement, he added, comes just as staff prepare to vote on whether to unionise.
TikTok argued the shake-up will “maximize effectiveness and speed” in how harmful content is removed. The company said its technology already deletes 85% of posts that break the rules, reducing the amount of disturbing material human moderators have to review.
Employees losing their jobs will be allowed to apply for other roles inside the company and will get priority if they meet the requirements.
The timing is sensitive. Britain’s Online Safety Act came into force in July, forcing social media platforms to tighten checks on content and protect younger users. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue.
That same month, TikTok introduced new parental controls, including tools to block certain accounts and monitor teen privacy settings. But critics say the measures don’t go far enough. In March, the UK data watchdog launched a “major investigation” into the company’s practices.
TikTok has insisted its recommendation systems are built with “strict and comprehensive measures” to protect young users.
