TikTok has put hundreds of UK content moderators’ jobs at risk, even as tighter online safety rules come into effect. The viral video app said several hundred jobs in its trust and safety team could be affected in the UK, as part of a global reorganisation that shifts work to other European offices and third-party providers.
The cuts are part of a wider move at TikTok to rely on artificial intelligence for moderation. More than 85% of content removed for violating its community guidelines is now identified and taken down by automation, according to the platform. The changes come despite the recent introduction of new UK online safety rules requiring age checks for potentially harmful content, with fines of up to £18m or 10% of global turnover for breaches.
John Chadfield of the Communication Workers Union warned that replacing workers with AI could put the safety of millions of TikTok users at risk. “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. The company has been cutting trust and safety staff globally over the past year, including firing its entire team of 300 content moderators in the Netherlands in September and replacing about 500 moderators in Malaysia in October.
Despite the cuts, TikTok’s business is booming. Accounts filed to Companies House showed revenues grew 38% to $6.3bn (£4.7bn) in 2024, with operating loss narrowing from $1.4bn to $485m. A TikTok spokesperson said the reorganisation aims to strengthen the global operating model for trust and safety, concentrating operations in fewer locations for effectiveness and speed.
