The ban 

The banning of TikTok has negatives and positives, which will reshape society and the government, while also shifting the global geopolitical landscape. The loss of TikTok will positively change the habits of young people, while simultaneously destroying the lives of many. This ban will be talked about for years to come and marks a time in our collective history which we will surely share with the further generations. 

The platform

No platform has been scrutinized harder in recent months than TikTok as it has been subject to many governmental concerns for its Chinese-based parent company ByteDance. Concerns have been raised by many regarding the influential place in society TikTok currently holds and its loss may impact society. Many students have had the video-sharing and viewing app since it gained popularity in 2018 and has become a staple of American pop culture with many celebrities rising to fame on the platform.

Gallup Polls estimates that teens on average spend about an hour and a half on the app with females aged 17 spending the most time on the app. While this number represents a majority of the audience, it does not take into account other minority audiences such as middle-aged parents and young adults. 

The impact 

The economic impact of losing TikTok will be hard to measure but surely will exist as countless small businesses use the app to promote their local businesses and share their story. Some creators have made millions of dollars off of the followers they have attracted on the app, additionally, many creators use the platform to promote good causes and raise awareness for organizations. Socially the impact may be beneficial; loss of the app may limit screen time of teenagers and promote in-person interactions which has been shown to be irreplaceable.

However, the loss of intricate communities will occur too, like the communities that share heart-warming stories, communities that come together to help stop crime and find the missing like in the case of Gabby Petito, and even communities focused on sharing news, sports, or entertainment. Politically, information about candidates, current events, and accessible news coverage will all be lost. 

Background 

While the Chinese government’s influence over ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) is more assumed than based on factual information, this implied influence is of concern to lawmakers. This assumption is based on many Chinese laws like the 2016 Cybersecurity Law, the 2017 National Intelligence Law, the 2021 Data Security Law, and the 2023 Counter Espionage Laws. These laws ensure compliance of Chinese companies by forcing them to turn over certain information when requested.

ByteDance itself is not owned by the Chinese government, in the words of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who is Singaporean, from a March 2023 Congressional hearing,“ByteDance is a privately owned company of which 60 percent is owned by global investors, 20 percent by the founder and 20 percent is owned by employees around the world.”

TikTok itself is headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore and employs 7,000 Americans.

The concern of the ban 

While surely a polarizing topic, the ban is likely for society’s collective improvement, despite much protest and debate there is much to discuss regarding the next steps following the ban. A dangerous and slippery slope, banning TikTok has been compared to censoring free speech, and would set a precedent that would allow the Government to oppress Americans on potentially bogus claims of “National Security.”

Additionally, by eliminating TikTok from the market, power would be shifted back to American tech giants like Meta, X, and Google. The concern lays in the fact that these giants would hold a monopoly on online interactions, communication, and online free speech. 

The sacrificial lamb 

TikTok was not a new concept when it became popular, and still today there is nothing proprietary about the app. YouTube has its version called Shorts, while Instagram and Facebook have Reels. Many argue TikTok is the perfect sacrificial lamb, the perfect app to eliminate for many reasons, replications exist, addictions to social media have become rampant, and data security is a concern.

On the surface, removing an addictive app on which users spend much more time on then they probably should, sounds like a great idea. While small businesses and creators do exist on the platform, the majority of users are purely looking to gain entertainment. On the flip side, some informative, educational, and valuable content exists on TikTok, however, under further examination, one will see that much of the content is questionable at best and degenerate at worst.

Additionally, purely on the basis of national and data security, restricting a global rival’s access to potentially sensitive information seems like nothing less than a slam dunk for Washington DC’s hungry politicians.