With over one billion active users worldwide, and over 150 million American users, TikTok is one of the fastest growing apps. TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified before Congress on March 23. Chew was questioned by Congress for four hours about safety concerns surrounding TikTok and China’s influence on the app. Congress unanimously viewed TikTok as something harmful to children’s mental health and a potential threat to national security according to CNN.com.
This growing worry about TikTok is because of the app’s parent company ByteDance, headquartered in Beijing, China. US officials’ ban on TikTok has already started to take effect, it has been banned in several countries on government devices and at universities across the state of Florida.
Banning TikTok will be doing more harm than good to its users. TikTok has become such a big part of youth culture by starting fashion trends or turning small musicians into big stars. Many teens have found people they can relate and look up to or have used the app as a way to interact with friends.
TikTok isn’t just filled with dancing and comedic videos. It has also been used for educational purposes, and many people have found new interests or hobbies from the app. Because of the way its algorithm works many smaller creators, whose voices aren’t usually heard, are able to reach bigger audiences than on other platforms like Instagram, and Facebook.
A ban on TikTok nationwide is part of a proposed bill called the RESTRICT Act. If this bill is passed it wouldn’t just be banning TikTok, it would also allow the Secretary of Commerce to restrict or ban digital products and services from countries it considers to be foreign rivals according to businessinsider.com.
This is a serious infringement on Americans’ right to freedom of speech and could harm relations between the US and its foreign adversaries even more. Any large foreign app like TikTok can be restricted because there may or may not be a threat to national security. Violators of the act, whether it be a business or citizen, could face high fines or imprisonment.
Montana lawmakers are the first to vote to completely ban TikTok in their state, all that is needed is approval from Governor Gianforte before an outright ban of TikTok is put on the state. According to CNN.com “The legislation specifically names TikTok as a target of the bill, and outlines potential penalties of $10,000 per violation per day.” These fines will only affect businesses, individual users won’t be penalized for using the app.
TikTok is a focal point of current pop culture; it’s a way people can freely express themselves and can even be a breath of fresh air at times. Writing and petitioning local and state legislators is one of the best ways to help make a change, and help stop the RESTRICT Act.
