We Asked: How do you feel about a potential TikTok ban?
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — TikTok users across the country are one step closer to seeing the app banned.
We asked our viewers what they thought, and some people agreed with the need for a ban, while others hoped to continue to use the app.
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President Biden signed a bill package Wednesday, forcing the Tiktok’s owner to sell some time in the next year.
The app is not likely to disappear immediately. TikTok has released a statement calling the new law a “ban” and saying the company intends to challenge the bill in court. However, some are still concerned about the app’s future.
People told News 19 they use TikTok to watch educational videos or interact with friends. They said they would be sad to see the app go. For some, it’s difficult to decide if a ban is the right answer.
“I like how you can have more information at the ready to know what’s going on in the world, but I feel like on the other hand of it, you are more exposed to what’s going on in the world and it can cause mental health concerns for a lot of people,” said Syriah Herrell, who has previously used TikTok.
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Herrell’s mother, Darcy, said she has seen content that concerns her on TikTok.
“It’s not always good information,” Darcy Kerrell said. “It’s not always something you want to see, and it’s absolutely not something I want my child to see. Sometimes it’s things I don’t want my adult children to see.”
Sen. Katie Britt has said she supports a TikTok ban for several months. On Tuesday, she voted to pass the bill package impacting the app.
“As it stands, China is effectively flying a spy balloon in the home of every TikTok user and spreading this digital fentanyl to our young people,” Britt said in a statement Tuesday night. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the CCP knows that if it conquers the minds of our next generation, it conquers America. This legislation accomplishes a generational victory that is integral to defending America’s future.”
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News 19 also asked for public reactions to a potential TikTok ban. Here are a few of their responses:
From Facebook
“I guess I get both sides of why ban it and why not ban it. However, since I’ve heard of its existence, I’ve always known it to serve as more of a security risk to National security than other social media apps…”
Phebe A Jones, Facebook
“All that does is set up a dangerous precedent for other bans the government deems as necessary. Idc what app it is, government should not have that kind of control.”
Alex Sims, Facebook
“I personally have learned several things from TikTok. I’ve learned several recipes, cultures, etc. I don’t think the ban is even necessary. Watching the government even ask the TikTok CEO questions was a slap in the face as a citizen.”
Sydney Marie Langley, Facebook
“They just want to control the narrative. People get the truth and are able to post without being narrative driven. I see stuff on the app that isn’t being talked about else where like it should be.”
Megan Eaves, Facebook
“I have no strong opinions about TikTok, per se, one way or the other, and I can certainly understand why many people (on *both* sides of the political aisle, mind you) would like to ban it, or at least to rein in its influence. However, I am a firm believer in the principle of limited government, so I am concerned about the precedent this sets.
This new law gives the government the power to single out a specific business and either force the owners to sell it or else ban it outright (presumably, with serious penalties for non-compliance), not because it has done anything illegal, but simply because a majority in Congress disapproves of it, or at least of the people who currently run it. Today it’s TikTok. Which controversial company will it be tomorrow? Apple? Amazon? Meta (Facebook)? X (né Twitter)? Truth Social (Trump)?
I expect this new law to be challenged in court, but given how much deference the courts usually give to the federal government’s regulation of “interstate commerce,” unless the current owners can make a plausible argument that it is unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds (though I’m not sure what that argument might be, since this new law does not purport to regulate the *content* of TikTok, only its ownership), I expect this new law will most likely be upheld. That is troubling.”
Gregory J. Casteel, Facebook
In a statement Wednesday, TikTok said it has invested billions of dollars to secure users’ data, calling the attempt to ban the app unconstitutional.
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