TikTok has placed hundreds of UK content moderator jobs at risk as part of a global reorganisation, even as stricter online safety rules come into effect. The viral video app said several hundred roles in its trust and safety team could be affected in the UK, along with positions in south and south-east Asia. The work will be reallocated to other European offices and third-party providers, with some trust and safety jobs remaining in the UK.
The cuts are part of a wider shift towards artificial intelligence for content moderation. TikTok reports that more than 85% of content removed for violating its community guidelines is identified and taken down by automation. This move comes despite the recent introduction of new UK online safety rules, which require companies to implement age checks for users attempting to view potentially harmful content. Companies face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover for breaches.
John Chadfield of the Communication Workers Union warned that replacing workers with AI in content moderation could jeopardise user safety. “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. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech group ByteDance, employs more than 2,500 staff in the UK.
Over the past year, TikTok has been cutting trust and safety staff globally, often substituting workers with automated systems. In September, the company fired its entire team of 300 content moderators in the Netherlands. In October, it announced plans to replace about 500 content moderation employees in Malaysia. Last week, TikTok workers in Germany held strikes over layoffs in its trust and safety team.
Despite the job cuts, TikTok's business is thriving. Accounts filed to Companies House this week showed revenues grew 38% to $6.3 billion (£4.7 billion) in 2024 compared with the previous year. Its operating loss narrowed from $1.4 billion in 2023 to $485 million. A TikTok spokesperson said the company is “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 to ensure that we maximise effectiveness and speed as we evolve this critical function for the company with the benefit of technological advancements.”
