TikTok is ‘glorifying’ motorbike crime, Loughborough MP warns

Sandher added: “I am particularly concerned that TikTok’s reliance on AI moderation is unable to distinguish between innocuous content and material that is, in context, promoting and celebrating criminality.

“An algorithm may see ‘teenagers on motorbikes’; a human reviewer would recognise stolen vehicles, numberplates removed and content that incites dangerous and illegal riding.”

TikTok said “the vast majority” of the cited accounts had already banned for violating their guidelines.

They added that 99% of the videos that were removed between January and March had been taken down proactively, before they were reported to the platform.

“Our Community Guidelines clearly state that we strictly prohibit content that promotes or enables criminal activity, including the glorification of theft and criminal behaviour,” the spokesperson said.

“We are actively removing videos and accounts that break our rules.”

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said: “We have dedicated teams in force who monitor social media accounts as an intelligence source and act on information where appropriate.”

The force said it ran Operation Original to target vehicle-related crime and associated anti-social behaviour in Loughborough, Shepshed and Hathern, late last year and into 2026.

It said further operations were in the planning stages.

Additional reporting by Pete Saull