Britain’s culture, media and sport committee has been looking into countering disinformation online and comes after China-owned TikTok was banned on government devices due to data security concerns.

Ministers have now said accurate information needs to be communicated in a “relatable” way to youths, who are increasingly turning to social media instead of established news outlets to get their facts.

They are urging the government to meet young people “where they are”, and as young people typically spend an hour every day on TikTok, it is likely it will have to engage with younger audiences on the platform.

A report on the topic says: “The Government must have a clear strategy for communicating with young people and adapting to the development of new apps and platforms which appeal to this audience.”

Even though it is blocked on the UK Parliament’s Wi-Fi, some MPs do still use TikTok.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has almost 20,000 followers on the platform, but insists he doesn’t have the app on his personal phone.

The Ministry of Defence also operates a TikTok account which has about 17,500 followers.

TikTok said: “We welcome this report’s recommendation that the government should engage with the public on whatever platform they choose to use.”

The government has responded to the committee report by saying it makes efforts to reach people “directly on the platforms they spend the most time on”.

It added the Online Safety Act will “help tackle the root cause of disinformation” by requiring social media companies to “swiftly remove illegal misinformation and disinformation as soon as they become aware of it”.