Angry Ginge says under-14s should not have TikTok

Georgie Dockerand
Roger Johnson,North West
News imageBBC Angry Ginge. Young man with ginger hair wears a grey hoodie and looks slightly away from the camera. The picture is a still shot taken from his conversation on North West Tonight.BBC
After becoming a victim to a generative AI deepfake in 2025, content creator Angry Ginge is campaigning for tougher social media restrictions for children

Social media personality Angry Ginge has said children under the age of 14 should not have TikTok and children under the age of 16 should not be on X.

The I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! winner - whose real name is Morgan Burtwhistle - spoke out about social media age restrictions to BBC North West Tonight.

"There's definitely more protection needed," the 24-year-old Salford-born content creator said, after discussing his experience as a victim of deepfake artificial intelligence (AI) content.

"I wouldn't say everyone under 16 shouldn't be on social media," he said, but certain things needed "tweaking". His comments come as he features in a charity campaign video for primary schools.

News imageITV Angry Ginge ITV promotional shot for I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here 2025.ITV
Since being crowned King of the Jungle in the 2025 game show, Angry Ginge has contemplated his own responsibility as a creator amid the rise of generative AI

The campaign aims to help school children identify misinformation and AI-generated content.

"If it's used in the right way it can be really positive," Angry Ginge said of improvements in AI technology. "But unfortunately, there's people that use it in the wrong way - and that is only going to get bigger.

"It is going to become a lot harder to recognise the deepfakes compared to the real stuff - and it's going to become a lot more realistic."

The content creator opened up about his experience as a victim of AI-generated deepfakes - when content showing himself with a woman began to circulate in November 2025, ahead of his experience as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.

"There was a situation before I went into the jungle where someone had faked me having a girlfriend," Angry Ginge said.

"They had put us together at the airport and the press were thinking about releasing it and everything."

He said, in reality, he did not have a girlfriend and the images had in fact been made with deepfake AI.

"And I thought that if adults - who 'should know better' - are believing it, where does that leave the youth of today?

"Personally, I believe anyone who's 13 or 14 or below shouldn't have TikTok because it's flooded with loads of rubbish," the influencer said. "No one below 16 should be on X."

"I wouldn't say everyone under 16 shouldn't be on social media - but there's definitely certain things that need tweaking."

News imagePA Angry Ginge stands smiling in an all black suit against a purple backdropPA
"I think X is one of the worst for it [AI generated content] - it is a complete and utter sewer," Angry Ginge tells BBC North West Tonight

"Creators ourselves have got responsibility," Angry Ginge said. "British kids nowadays believe and choose to get their sort of information from influencers and content creators rather than the traditional news.

"So we need to make sure what we do, what we say, is true - and kids aren't going to school passing on false information - or getting tricked by AI voices or images.

"For example, an image or video of me or my voice over it might be saying 'sign up to this' or whatever - and in reality it's not me saying that.

"It's just a complete fake video that's used my voice to promote their own stuff."

According to Ofcom research, 57% of children aged 12 to 15 said they accessed news via social media - making social media the biggest news source for this age range outside of "talking with family".

News imageInternet Matters/Tesco Angry Ginge posing looking confused sat at a school desk in front of a whiteboard reading: 'Today's lesson: MISINFORMATION'.
Internet Matters/Tesco
Angry Ginge has been announced as the face of a children's internet safety campaign led by Internet Matters - in partnership with Tesco

Angry Ginge began streaming in 2020 as he played video games, but his fictional outburst about a struggle to get chips after a night out went viral in 2021.

He grew up on a council estate in Eccles and is now one of the UK's most popular streamers with millions of followers on platforms like Twitch and You Tube.

'Look who your children are watching'

He has now partnered with children's internet safety charity, Internet Matters - to create a film designed to educate children on the potential dangers of fake videos and manipulated content, both on social media platforms, within the comments, or on live chat forums on online games.

The video campaign aims to provide helpful guidance on how to identify when something online is not real and what to do next.

On children's safety, Angry Ginge had a message for parents - "Look who your children are watching - check the background on them," he said.

"Take five seconds when you watch something before sharing it.

"Go on Google, do some research, because nine times out of ten it will probably be fake."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.