Tik tok is an app that has taken over the nation in the past couple of years. In a society where social media is so prevalent, the rumors of a Tik Tok ban can be a big deal to some people. What started out as musically turned into an app that would later dominate. There have been many pros and cons about Tik Tok. But, do the cons outweigh the pros?
Tik tok has 1 billion active monthly users in 141 Countries including the United States. With more eyes on this app means more eyes potentially landing on one of your ads. It has created a place for small businesses to showcase their work and promote their ideas. The app has even given social media influencers another platform to make videos on and make tons of money. With the tik tok ban passing, it will create a loss of these individuals’ income and a chance for small businesses to grow. But on the positive side, it will make these influencers get actual real jobs.
Tik tok has also been used as a platform of sharing news. Surveys state that 43% of Americans get their news from Tik tok daily. Tik tok is not always the best source of news though. It’s very easy to create fake news, which can spread like a wildfire. Fake news and bias is something we need to decrease and limit as much as possible. But teens in America get the majority of their news from social media apps like Tik Tok, which can be extremely harmful. So, the passing of the bill could actually help end the spread of fake and bias filled news.
In addition, Tik Tok is owned by a Beijing company called Byte Dance. Recently, United States lawmakers have tried to regulate this platform due to its possible ties with the Chinese government. Lawmakers argue that this platform is a threat to national security in the United States. Certain content is pushed specifically to American users on the app, this is seen as a tactic used by the Chinese government. On March 13th the House voted to pass the bill to ban tik tok in overwhelming numbers. This gives ByteDance a choice: they can sell the app, or allow Tik Tok to be banned from all U.S. web hosting services.
All this information may have you thinking, has there been any proof of a security breach through the use of Tik Tok in America? After researching this topic, the answer is no. This bill is based on a legitimate theoretical concern. This is a valid concern because China has shown willingness to exploit user data and can become very aggressive when it comes to spying.
After talking with some of Ipswich High School students and staff, it is clear that the ban is giving people mixed emotions. Mr. Wood states, “If the goal of the ban is to protect people’s privacy and promote their mental health I think it is an idea to consider. I do not know if an outright ban is necessary though.” He says that the ban will not affect his daily life, but it is somewhat important to him because it is affecting the majority of the students he works with on a daily basis. Avery Brown believes that the Tik Tok ban might even be a good thing for some people. She said, “Even though I use Tik Tok pretty often, I feel like it could be a good thing because it will force me to be on my phone way less.” I can agree with her viewpoint on this. Just because Tik Tok could possibly be going away doesn’t mean that your access to similar apps like instagram wont be there anymore. The banning of Tik Tok could reduce the number of hours of screen time that students in high school spend on their phones.
