On March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a vote on a potential ban of TikTok. President Joe Biden has openly stated that he would sign the bill into law assuming it makes its way to his desk.

Professor of Communication Studies, Dr. Lucas Hatlen is not a regular user of TikTok but does frequently watch content on YouTube shorts. Hatlen said, “I often see the TikTok watermark in the corner, so I do view a lot of TikTok content, even if it is not through the app itself.”

This raises an argument that if a TikTok ban were to occur, would these videos still be available to repost on other platforms like YouTube shorts or Instagram Reels?

Ariana Murray, a sophomore Business Major said, “I do frequently view TikTok content, it’s a way for me to connect with my friends and boyfriend.” Murray said, “TikTok has become an everyday thing for me, I’ll open the app without even noticing.”

Murray said that she also makes content on TikTok, “I don’t take it too seriously, it’s more for me to just have fun and share funny moments that I have with my friends,” she said.

A big topic regarding the situation is speculation that TikTok is potentially feeding information about its users to the Chinese government. Murray said, “I don’t think that TikTok is a risk for American citizens, although there is a reason to be skeptical there really isn’t any proof.” 

“I don’t see much explicit ‘pro-American’ content on the app, it’s more or less people sharing their experiences living in the United States like New York or Texas even,” Murray said. 

Hatlen said, “I regularly get served brief clips from old films/TV shows, and war movies are pretty common.” Hatlen said that the most frequent clips come from “Saving Private Ryan” and the show “Band of Brothers,” which he considers both to be “pro-American” in a sense.

Hatlen said that he doesn’t think that TikTok is a danger greater than any other social media platform, however, the U.S. government considering this ban as an abundance of caution is reasonable.

Murray feels lawmakers are perhaps exaggerating the issue. “I think that the U.S. has bigger things to worry about rather than banning an app used by millions of people within its borders,” she said.

Both Hatlen and Murray said that they think it’s more of a domestic issue rather than a foreign government actually trying to manipulate the United States.

In the United States alone, TikTok has reported 148 million monthly users. It’s also important to note that many of these users do make some sort of income from posting videos. The revenue made from creating content on the app is many people’s way of life.

The Senate still has yet to vote on whether or not it will get passed to Biden. Users of the app, especially content creators, are encouraged to follow information regarding the proposed ban.

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