Taliban Orders Bans on TikTok, PUBG for Leading Youths Astray

The video-sharing app TikTok, and the multi-player game PUBG, were part of an ordered ban by the Taliban for allegedly “misleading” youths.

It is the first app that the militant group has decided to ban ever since they took over the government in August 2021. It is still unknown when the ban will start and how long it will last. 

The Taliban have already banned music, TV soap operas, and movies. When the militant group took over the government last year, they promised a softer approach. But they have no way been near it, especially curtailing women’s freedoms.

The group also said they would issue bans on TV channels that air content considered “immoral.” Inamullah Samangani, a spokesman for the Taliban, stated that the latest ban was a must to prevent youth from being misled.  

The BBC’s Afghan Service editor, Hameed Shuja, says that the reason behind TikTok and PUBG’s popularity is the fact that many forms of entertainment for youths have been banned.

Shuja adds that the ever-growing app TikTok has been increasingly popular with young men who enjoy filming short, humorous videos.

PUBG is a shooting game that the previous government tried to ban once, but their attempt was unsuccessful. 

The Taliban announced the ban on Thursday. On the same day, four different explosions were heard in cities around Afghanistan, including a Shia mosque.

More than 80 people were wounded, and 31 were killed. The Islamic State groups said that they were behind the explosions. The Taliban said they had already apprehended the man responsible for the attack.

The Taliban were already known for their extreme approach to their version of the Islamist rules since the first time they were in government, 1996–2001.