TikTok Might Get Banned
3/26/24
Cambrie Narey
Many people watch and know about TikTok, with it having over 170 million users. But unfortunately as many of us have heard, it might be getting banned. Which is the first time they would make an internet app outlawed from a congressional law. The U.S. House of Representatives offered TikTok’s owner, a Chinese technology firm called ByteDance Ltd, that if they didn’t sell TikTok to an American company that it would be banned in the U.S.Â
If you don’t know what TikTok is, it’s a social media app, where you can post and watch short video clips. 6th grader, Zoey Carter says, “I don’t want TikTok to get banned, because it is an app that a lot of people use for entertainment and fun. And so many people use it, that a lot of kids might have nothing else to do.”
According to Variety, the lawmakers said that, “ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government”, which means that at any point the Chinese Government could demand access to the data of TikTok’s consumers in the U.S and they couldn’t say no. Even though TikTok has denied being used as a tool by the Chinese government. And said it has never shared U.S. user data with Chinese authorities and won’t do so if it is asked.Â
According to AP News, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said, “We have given TikTok a clear choice. Separate from your parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the CCP (the Chinese Communist Party), and remain operational in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences. The choice is TikTok’s.”
The bill was first introduced on March 5 by Reps. Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi. And was easily approved by the House committee in a 50-0 vote. President Joe Biden said that if Congress passes the measure, that he will sign it. In a video posted on Wednesday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said that the company has invested to keep the platform free from outside manipulation and to keep users' data safe.
On Tuesday, TikTok sent an in-app alert to all users in the U.S. telling them to call the congressional reps and voice their opinions on the bill. And this is the second one, as they sent out a similar one before last week’s House committee vote. Past President, Donald Trump agrees that TikTok shouldn’t be banned, “Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it.”Â
6th grader, Whitley Laffin says she doesn’t want TikTok to be banned, “Because it's a lot funner than youtube and you can learn a lot more things.” In conclusion TikTok is a great app and doesn’t deserve to be banned and many people agree.Â
Contributor Bio
Cambrie Narey is a 6th grader, that loves movies, tennis, and her friends.