Jericho, New York, U.S.A. – The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to approve a ban on TikTok from being used in the United States. The proposal still needs approval from the U.S. Senate, which is not a certainty.
But the real question is, is it really necessary? Why are they doing it in the first place?
U.S. officials are worried about TikTok’s Chinese ownership as it is owned by the parent company ByteDance. The concern is that if Chinese authorities ask for the security and information of U.S. citizens, TikTok would have to cede the information.
The other concern over TikTok is that the majority of its users are under 30 – new voters. The government is worried that this majority are getting their news from TikTok, which is being swayed by misinformation and biases.
But isn’t fake news everywhere? It is very unlikely for a person to not have a bias.
I see both sides.
I understand that TikTok may have an impact in an upcoming election and misinformation can sway young voters, but how can the government endorse a ban on TikTok when candidates are campaigning on TikTok to appeal to younger audiences?
In India, TikTok has been banned since 2021. But this has not stopped users – many people install a VPN server on their phone and use the app normally.
So is TikTok the real concern?
There are so many things in the United States that are at the forefront of concern, but TikTok should not be one of them.
TikTok being banned in the United States would lose profit for the company, so TikTok might be willing to meet certain terms in order to continue to operate in the U.S.
TikTok claims that a ban on the app in the US would also take billions of dollars away from creators and small businesses. A lot of American businesses promote on TikTok.
With all the problems in America, I truly do not believe TikTok should be a top priority.
If the concern about TikTok is spreading misinformation, then maybe the concern should really be learning about news and media bias in schools.
Jessy Siegmann is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International from the United States. She wrote this article.
Isabel Shen is a Junior Reporter and Senior Illustrator with Youth Journalism International from the United States. She made the illustration.
