A petition to ban TikTok has triggered a debate among Kenyan MPs and citizens.

The Kenyan parliament on Tuesday debated the petition, which was presented by a Kenyan, Bob Ndolo.

Mr Ndolo asked MPs to outlaw TikTok, citing concerns that the platform threatens Kenya’s cultural and religious values.

The petitioner also said that Kenya’s weak regulation of TikTok has caused the proliferation of offensive and inappropriate content on the platform.

“The petition decries that while TikTok has gained popularity among the youth in Kenya, the content that is being shared on the platform is inappropriate, thus promoting violence, explicit sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language and offensive behaviour, which is a serious threat to the cultural and religious values of Kenya,” Moses Wetangula, the speaker of the Kenyan parliament, told MPs.

Mr Ndolo added that the ban would shield Kenyans against the negative effects of TikTok, including addiction, which could disrupt the education and mental health of students.

Mr Ndolo also expressed concern that the app could be illegally collecting or sharing Kenyans’ personal data.

Some lawmakers and citizens have supported the proposed ban, while others say that such a move would deter Kenya’s technological development and affect income for several young Kenyans who create content on TikTok.

Some lawmakers, like the majority leader in parliament Kimani Ichung'wah, have proposed stricter content regulation on the platform instead of an outright ban.