Will TikTok be Banned in the United States?
By Movieguide® Contributor
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms, but lawmakers are creating legislation that could ban the app in the United States.
A recent bill created by House Republicans and Democrats has demanded “its parent company, China-based ByteDance, to divest the popular social media company or risk the U.S.’s banning it from app stores,” NBC News reported.
Per The Hill, “The ‘Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act’ was unveiled Tuesday by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.”
“It specifically defines ByteDance and TikTok as a foreign adversary controlled application and urges the parent company to divest the platform or face a ban in the U.S., while also creating a broader framework that would allow the president to designate other foreign adversary controlled applications,” The Hill noted.
The bill passed the House Energy and Commerce committee in a 50-0 vote on Thursday.
In a statement to reporters, committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said, “It’s a very narrow, targeted bill that we’ve worked very hard to build bipartisan support. This is about protecting Americans.”
A National Security Council spokesperson also said, “The Administration has worked with Members of Congress from both parties to arrive at a durable legislative solution that would address the threat of technology services operating in the United States in a way that poses risks to Americans’ sensitive data and our broader national security.”
“This bill is an important and welcome step to address that threat,” the spokesperson continued.
However, Alex Haurek, a TikTok spokesperson, considers the bill an “outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it.”
“This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs,” he added.
This bill comes as no surprise as TikTok puts harmful content in the hands of children.
Movieguide® previously reported on the dangers of the app:
In a recent article published in Forbes, writer Alexandra S. Levine highlighted how TikTok allows and encourages sexual abuse of minors, especially young girls.
The article titled “How TikTok Live Became ‘A Strip Club Filled With 15-Year-Olds’” outlined how TikTok users exploit young girls for sexual photos and videos in exchange for petty cash.
Levine notes that comments like “$35 for a flash,” and “I’m 68 and you owe me one,” are common requests from male users to female minors on the video-sharing platform.
“These exchanges did not take place between adults at a nightclub; they took place on TikTok Live, where MJ, who said she was 14 years old, was broadcasting with friends to 2,000 strangers on a recent Saturday night,” Levine wrote.
- Content: +1Share:
- Content: +3