East Texas community reacts to potential TikTok ban
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TYLER, Texas (KETK) — On Wednesday, the U.S. House voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill that would ban TikTok nationwide with a 352 to 62 vote.
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The bill would require its owner, Chinese company Bytedance, to sell the app within six months or face a ban in the US.
House lawmakers believe citizens’ personal data is at risk and those opposed said its a violation of the first amendment.
Five East Texas representatives, Nathaniel Moran, Lance Gooden, Pat Fallon, Jake Ellzey and Pete Sessions voted to proceed with banning the popular app.
“ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), commits cyber espionage every day against American citizens. The CCP poses the single greatest national security threat to America. Under Chinese law, no Chinese company can operate autonomously and away from the lens of the CCP. Chinese companies are mandated to provide their users’ information to the CCP. We cannot allow our foreign adversaries to have unlimited access to Americans’ sensitive personal data.
Today, I voted to protect the national security of America and the safety of Americans everywhere by requiring ByteDance to cut ties with TikTok and pursue American ownership of the app. The sooner TikTok separates from ByteDance, the sooner American users can continue enjoying the app.”
U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran
The bipartisan bill will now go to the Senate and if passed, it will head to President Biden’s desk to be signed.
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Biden has said that if the bill reaches his desk, he will sign it.
However, East Texas teenagers said they do not want to see the app disappear from their phones.
Tyler Legacy students, Caroline Roberts and Katie Anderson have been on the app since it started as Musical.ly, back in the fourth grade, now they are juniors.
“I think there are bigger issues than TikTok with privacy. So maybe that’s not like our biggest issue. I just feel like it’s not as big a deal as they think it is,” Roberts said.
TikTok has turned to be more than just an app, with some finding it useful for everyday use.
“If I need to find something new to cook, I’m looking on TikTok, if I need a recipe, I’m looking on TikTok,” Roberts said.
Both girls said from viral dances to the latest books to read, TikTok is one of their main sources for pop culture and news.
“A big reason I have stuck with it is like such a big community. They can find so many things that you’re interested and learning different things,” said TikTok user, Katie Anderson.
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It’s a trend that grew during the pandemic, when over 100 million Americans were stripped from socializing, people turned to TikTok for a community.
“All these videos, like it made everybody feel less depressed about the pandemic. I felt better after being on TikTok,” Anderson said.
For Anderson, TikTok has even helped figure out what she wants to do after graduation.
“I realized that a bigger passion I have is books, reading, and I want to possibly go into publishing,” Anderson said.
Users said if TikTok is banned, they will simply move to other platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
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