The prime minister is now on TikTok in a bizarre new move from the government.
Boris Johnson posted his first public video on TikTok on Tuesday as he launched 10 Downing Street’s account on the video platform, particularly popular among children, teenagers and young adults.
He said: “Hi folks, this is Boris Johnson here, launching the No.10 TikTok account.
“You won’t necessarily catch me dancing on here, but we will have all sorts of stuff about what we’re doing to deliver on our priorities, deliver for you on our agenda on uniting and levelling up our country.
“And you’ll get all sorts of messages and content that you might not get if you’re looking at Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – and all the other stuff.
“This is intended to be a place where we can put out messages and behind the scenes insight into what we are getting done, so tune in to No.10 TikTok!”
As of two hours after its launch, the account is not following any other users but has accumulated more than 2000 followers itself and 1630 likes from the general public.
The video itself was more than 46,000 times in those two hours – but not all the comments were exactly complimentary.
One account wrote, “the comments are gonna be turned off so quick,” while another asked: “What made you think this would ever be a good idea.”
Some people joked, “Theresa would have danced” – presumably a reference to the former prime minister Theresa May’s infamous dance moves – and there were also requests for “a BTS from the 2020 parties” and a “TikTok on your hair routine babes”.
Amid the witty asides there were plenty of comments simply stating, “resign”.
On a more serious note, one user pointed out: “Country going into recession so the government made a TikTok to help us.”
Johnson is not the only minister on the platform – culture secretary Nadine Dorries set up her account several weeks ago, sharing her ideas about the UK’s media landscape and unpacking various political events including the Queen’s Speech.
She made a small faux pas during a video in April, when she accidentally told fellow TikTokers that you could “downstream” your movies.
TikTok mostly attracts Gen Zers – those born between 1997 and 2012 – and says 60% of its users come from this age group.
It boomed throughout the pandemic and is known for its short, snappy video content which is tailored to each user’s interests.