Anti-TikTok Bill in Congress

When you think of Congress, you think of distinguished politicians debating and discussing the future of our nation and passing laws for citizen’s best interests, not being the common enemy of chronically online teens. Though due to the passing of the anti-TikTok bill this is what Congress has become to the average American teen. On March 13th, house representatives passed the TikTok Ban bill which could potentially ban any TikTok content from the U.S. This drastic action by Congress comes from the fear of the Chinese Communist Party and the supposed control they have over American citizens with TikTok. TikTok is owned by a parent company called ByteDance, a Chinese internet technology company. Members of Congress argue that since TikTok is controlled by a Chinese-owned company, the Chinese government could easily be using the app to spy on Americans and spread propaganda. 

Though Shou Zi Chew, the chief executive officer of TikTok, argued that ByteDance isn’t controlled or owned by the Chinese government itself. Many people also believe that the U.S. government is in no place to restrict huge apps like TikTok due to privacy concerns since they are also notorious for having apps created by American entrepreneurs that breach users' privacy, such as Meta. Rameesha Ahmad, a freshman at Sewanhaka High School, shares this sentiment, and adds “Honestly, I think there are more pressing matters the government should be focusing on rather than trying to ban a social media platform. The U.S government has always been against censorship and freedom of speech is a right granted to us in the Constitution. This makes me wonder why the government is going against precedents and laws as old as the U.S. itself instead of focusing on more pressing matters.” 

On the other hand, some parents and even children are seeing the ban in a positive light, since addictive social media such as TikTok can consume your life and take away time from things that matter. Neha Johny, a Sewanhaka freshman, admits that, “It’s hard for me to decide if the ban is a good thing or not. TikTok brings awareness to many events but it’s also legitimate brain rot. I do hope it doesn’t get banned though.” Teens all over the U.S. are holding their breath as they await the government's final decision on the fate of TikTok.