Remember “The Renegade”, “Slick Back”, ¨It's Corn¨ and ¨I Am Your Mother¨? Alas, the party could be over. When social media began it was all fun, connecting with friends, doing crazy things. But it was not long before concerns began to increase. Chinese government influence, media addiction and TikTok´s profit from minors have become the main points for banning TikTok in the United States.
The China-based owner, ByteDance (a Chinese internet company), has been given two options by a bipartisan congressional bill for banning TikTok, which was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. ByteDance can sell TikTok to an U.S.- based owner or face a ban. If ByteDance sells, TikTok will continue operations in the U.S. under a new owner. The bill also requires the new owner to give up control of the TikTok algorithm, which feeds users content based on prior searches. If ByteDance chooses not to sell, the TikTok app will no longer be available in app stores or web hosting services for anyone based in the U.S.
Both the Democrats and Republicans have expressed deep concern that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over information regarding users' data. About 170 million Americans use TikTok, which means many American citizens' user data will be given to the Chinese government. TikTok has influenced the U.S elections in the past and there's also a fear that theChinese government may try to influence future elections using personal data.“TikTok accounts run by a [People’s Republic of China] PRC propaganda arm which reportedly targeted candidates from both political parties during the U.S. midterm election cycle in 2022,” a report said. However, TikTok denies any ties with the Chinese government.
Although the profit of TikTok is not public, a Harvard University study showed that TikTok has made two billion dollars from youth aged thirteen to seventeen. TikTok overall ad revenue from users under eighteen is 35%. A Pew Research study found that one in six teens use TikTok almost constantly. Interestingly, the Chinese government does not allow Chinese citizens to use TikTok due to its addictive properties. Regulating social media has been an interest of many states in the United States over the past few years, with 33 states now suing Meta (the owner of Instagram and Facebook).
The question then arises, what will happen to those who make a living off of TikTok? If TikTok is banned there will be an economic impact. Those who are content creators will lose their jobs, their main source of income. About 11.6 million people's main source of income is TikTok.
The bill now needs to be passed by the Senate. If it passes it will go to the White House, where President Joe Biden will need to sign it. President Biden has already expressed that he will sign it. ByteDance will have 180 days to sell TikTok. However, if it is banned, people will almost certainly find a way around the ban, or start using other media platforms. So is this really the end of TikTok?
Works Cited
FARRINGTON, BRENDAN. “Florida House passes a bill to ban social media accounts for children under 16.” AP News, 24 January 2024, https://apnews.com/article/social-media-florida-government-f06dcfcbb8ff75ac3d3b0324cd16a7e7. Accessed 11 April 2024.
HADERO, HALELUYA. “Will TikTok be banned in the US? Here's what to know.” AP News, 13 March 2024, https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-bill-divest-5b5a685e8f1e19d22182d62526bf19b8. Accessed 11 April 2024.
“House passes bill that could lead to TikTok ban, AP Explains.” AP News, 13 March 2024, https://apnews.com/video/district-of-columbia-china-government-united-states-government-china-texas-1f4f7e0481bd4bad800eaa074a18c136. Accessed 11 April 2024.
ORTUTAY, BARBARA, and HALELUYA HADERO. “Social media companies made $11 billion in US ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds.” AP News, 27 December 2023, https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-meta-instagram-revenue-teens-harvard-cc9bf875d6f7259ba2aee8805ccdaf3d. Accessed 11 April 2024.
“Roughly 1 in 6 teens use YouTube and TikTok almost constantly, survey finds.” AP News, 12 December 2023, https://apnews.com/article/teens-social-media-tiktok-snapchat-17e0ff4dec0f2744674cac4e7ae5b3ca. Accessed 11 April 2024.
WILLINGHAM, LEAH. “TikTok ban: Creators warn of economic impact if ban succeeds.” AP News, 15 March 2024, https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-reaction-influencers-4ae88afbc344630b2c1091a4a1784078. Accessed 11 April 2024.
