AI-Generated Fakes, Abuse and Misinformation Targeting Young Voters

TikTok Becomes Battleground for UK Election as Young Voters Exposed to Misinformation

Young voters in key UK election battlegrounds are being bombarded with fake AI-generated videos, misinformation, and abusive content on TikTok, a BBC investigation has found.

As political parties vie for attention on the platform to reach younger demographics, TikTok has emerged as a critical social media battleground in this election cycle. The BBC’s “Undercover Voters” project, which created 24 fictional social media profiles based on data from the National Centre for Social Research, has revealed concerning trends in the content being promoted to young users.

The investigation focused on profiles in Bishop Auckland, a former “red wall” constituency currently held by Conservatives but targeted by Labour. TikTok proved to be the most active platform for political discourse among younger voters compared to other social media sites.

Videos receiving hundreds of thousands of views have promoted unfounded rumors, including claims that a major scandal prompted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to call an early election. Other content falsely alleged that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was responsible for the failure to prosecute serial pedophile Jimmy Savile – a baseless claim that has been repeatedly debunked.

Particularly concerning are satirical deepfake videos showing fabricated clips of Rishi Sunak making statements like, “Please don’t vote us out, we would be proper gutted!” and spreading unevidenced claims about the Conservative leader’s handling of public funds. Other AI-generated content misrepresents Sunak’s national service pledge, suggesting that 18-year-olds would be sent to active war zones in Ukraine and Gaza.

While some videos carry disclaimers identifying them as satire or parody, comment sections reveal many users are confused about which claims are factual. This blurring of lines between satire and fact appears to be influencing political discourse among young voters.

TikTok’s rapid growth since the last UK general election has positioned it as an influential information source. According to media regulator Ofcom, TikTok was the fastest-growing news source in the UK for the second consecutive year in 2023, used by 10% of adults. More significantly, one in ten teenagers identify it as their most important source of news.

The investigation also uncovered a pattern of coordinated comments supporting Reform UK across numerous videos, with repetitive messages prompting some users to nickname the commenters “Reform bots.” When contacted by BBC researchers, some commenters claimed to be genuine supporters with no official party affiliation, while others with more bot-like characteristics did not respond to inquiries.

A 16-year-old creator of satirical content told the BBC she was surprised by how quickly her video about national service garnered over 400,000 views. “I didn’t specifically create this account for the election and the reason I made the TikTok initially was just for a joke,” she explained. “Social media really is the only platform for young people to have a voice nowadays in my opinion.”

Multiple content creators contacted by the BBC were in their late teens or early twenties, expressing a desire to engage their peers in the electoral process. They uniformly stated they weren’t being paid for their posts and had no official party affiliations, though some acknowledged supporting specific parties.

In response to the BBC’s findings, TikTok said it had increased investment “in efforts to ensure reliable information can be found on TikTok,” including launching a “UK Election Centre with a fact-checking expert” and implementing “industry-leading AI labelling technology.” The platform claimed it removes 97% of videos containing electoral misinformation before they’re viewed.

As the UK election approaches, the impact of TikTok’s algorithm in shaping political narratives – particularly among first-time voters – raises significant questions about information integrity in the democratic process.