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I am worried, and you should be too. In the last couple of weeks, our state Legislature passed a ban prohibiting all Montanans from accessing TikTok. If this legislation becomes law, thousands of college students across the state will lose access to an essential resource for both education and community. The fate of this ban now rests with our governor, and the clock is ticking. To protect Montana’s students and their ability to learn in new and engaging ways, Governor Gianforte must veto this bill.
Since its introduction in February, proponents of SB 419 have claimed that the bill will address national security concerns and that TikTok is a surveillance tool for the Chinese government. This is false, as TikTok doesn’t operate in China, and all U.S. user data is stored in the United States. Further, the bill’s authors have overlooked TikTok’s varied uses to drive young people’s education and the detrimental impact of banning TikTok on our state’s student population. Simply put, this bill unnecessarily punishes Montanans while doing nothing to achieve its stated purpose.
As a Montana college student, I have seen TikTok in action firsthand and know its benefits, especially regarding learning on the platform. The app creates a space where users can act as both student and teacher. On TikTok, I have dived deeper into my studies and discovered new academic interests – not to mention the functional skills I have learned from TikTok, such as financial management and interview techniques. Most schools don’t teach these skills, but they are critical to the next generation’s ability to enter the workforce and lead successful lives post-college. TikTok provides a space for Montana college students like me to learn while at the same time finding community.
The connections created from TikTok are critical. When I came to the University of Montana, I was like many of my peers, yet I felt alone. Many of us had the same experience — we had just left home for the first time and found ourselves in an unfamiliar, sometimes intimidating, environment. I didn’t know how to find a community in this new chapter of my life. TikTok brought that community to me. The platform made it easy to connect with other students at my university and people across the country. TikTok helps young people like me find not just one community, but many.
Moreover, TikTok is crucial to expanding worldviews and acts as a tool for diversity and inclusion. Young people share their lived experiences on the platform, enhance their points of view, and connect with others who have gone through similar experiences. If Montana lawmakers want to protect our citizens’ data privacy, this is not the way to do it. The costs outweigh the risks, and a ban on one platform does nothing to protect Montanans on other social media platforms. Meaningful legislation must apply to all platforms, not single out one which so many in our state use to expand their education, understanding, and empathy.
College is a pivotal time for young people. We learn who we want to be, and TikTok helps us get there. Governor Gianforte must veto SB 419. If he does not, thousands of students across Montana stand to suffer.
Shelly Russel is a student at the University of Montana.
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