Egyptian authorities have detained dozens of teenage TikTok users with millions of followers in recent weeks, citing charges ranging from violating family values to money laundering.
Police have announced multiple arrests, while prosecutors are investigating at least 10 cases involving alleged unlawful financial gains. Travel bans and asset freezes have been imposed, and devices confiscated.
Critics argue the crackdown forms part of a wider effort by the state to control speech and regulate conduct, in a country where social media has long provided one of the few alternatives to state-controlled traditional media. Many of those detained were children when activists used Facebook to mobilise the 2011 protests that led to the ousting of long-serving president Hosni Mubarak.
Lawyers say Egypt’s indecency laws are vague, allowing authorities to scrutinise a TikTokker’s entire content history. Even a single post deemed indecent can lead to charges of financial crimes if the authorities declare the influencer’s earnings illegal.
Among those jailed is 19-year-old Mariam Ayman, who posts as Suzy El Ordonia and has 9.4 million followers. Detained since August 2, she faces accusations of distributing indecent content and laundering 15 million Egyptian pounds ($300,000).
The Interior Ministry said her arrest followed complaints about her videos. In her final post before detention, she acknowledged potential scrutiny but warned: “Egyptians don’t get arrested just because they appear on TikTok.” She admitted previous videos may have “agitated, cursed, or told a bad joke,” but said these were expressions of frustration, “not meant to teach the younger generation to follow suit.”
Her lawyer, Marawan al-Gindy, declined to comment specifically on her case but criticised the arbitrary enforcement of indecency laws. “There is a law that criminalises indecent acts, but what we need is consistent application and defined rules, not just for TikTok, for all platforms,” he said.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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