Kalley Huang, Alexandra Eaton and
We spoke with nine young people across the country about how a ban would change their lives.
If I could put TikTok into an image,
if I could help you visualize it,
I would say that it’s almost like everyone is in a
washing machine together.
And it’s just spinning, and everything’s getting
intermixed, and maybe colors are bleeding into each other.
And whatever is happening in the world,
whatever temperature we’re feeling,
everyone’s feeling it all together in that big
washing machine.
By Kalley Huang, Alexandra Eaton and Shane O’Neill April 25, 2023
Alexa Walkovitz is one of TikTok’s more than 150 million American users who have woven the app’s fire hose of 60-second videos into the fabric of their lives.
But the American government is worried that TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese internet giant ByteDance, is sharing sensitive user data with Beijing. TikTok has been banned from government-issued phones, Congress is pursuing a countrywide ban of the app and the Biden administration is pushing ByteDance to sell it.
Between users like Mx. Walkovitz and these lawmakers lies a fundamental disconnect about TikTok. Even as officials are focused on the dangers of the platform, many young Americans disagree with those concerns. Rather than a threat to national security, they view the app as a central platform for finding information, community and entertainment.
“There are bigger problems in this country rather than
an app.”
“It feels like this is a distraction to me.
I think other important issues get slid under the rug.”
“It’s a bunch of really old people that are trying
to distract the country from the real issues that actually
matter that are presenting real dangers.
We’re talking about banning TikTok when there’s kids
getting gunned down in classrooms.
That’s what matters.”
“I think young people are very angry, including me,
about trans rights and trans youth.”
“Reproductive rights, safe abortions.”
“And a lot of other things.”
In 2020, TikTok took off thanks to viral dance videos and catchy pop songs. Today, the app is a ceaseless public forum. It has started and defined cultural trends through its powerful algorithm, which curates the videos shown to users based on how they interact with content.
As TikTok has expanded beyond fads, it has become a search engine for many Gen Z-ers and stolen advertising business from its rivals. TikTok’s American users spend an average of 93 minutes a day on the app — nearly double their time on Facebook and Instagram — according to the analytics company Sensor Tower. The platform has become a forum for people to develop a meaningful community and engage in discussions about politics, faith and identity.
“It really is our own YouTube and Google in one.”
“It’s free information that you can find so quickly.”
“There’s so many people who use it to learn new things,
to discover new passions.
Sometimes you don’t know the things that you’re interested in
until you see them, and that’s what TikTok
really does.”
“You learn a lot about history, books,
how to take care of your teeth.”
“Proper weightlifting techniques, recipes.”
“I mostly watch content on fitness.”
“If you ask me about any recent trending TikTok dance:
One, I will know it, and two, I will probably do it
on the spot.”
“It was one of the first platforms for me as a
Black creator where I was able to really monetize and grow
my platform.”
But TikTok has also been criticized for being too addictive. Republicans have called the app “digital fentanyl.” It has also come under fire for feeding toxic content about eating disorders and self-harm to young people, endangering their lives with viral challenges and spreading manipulated and misleading media.
“I recognize just the pure amount of time I’ve lost.”
“If TikTok were banned, we would first get a few more
hours back in our day.”
“My usage kind of became problematic.
I set a time limit of about, I think, 30 minutes per day.
And I, to this day, find myself typing in the password
and giving myself more time.
And so I think because of that, my attention span
has kind of gotten worse over time.
And it’s harder to do the things that I need to do.”
“I don’t use it.
I’ve always had an aversion to it.
I’ve seen it as, like, the heroin of social media.
It’s so potent.
It’s really —
I mean, I guess it’s a compliment to TikTok.
It’s super well-designed.
Everyone seems to be absolutely hooked on it.”
“I definitely would say TikTok has honestly changed my life
for the better.”
“Yeah, I feel like I can really be myself
on the platform, almost more so than in real life.”
“And I’ve made so many internet friends, but also
real-life.”
“And that’s something I really treasure.
It just has brought authenticity back to
social media for me.”
Critiques of big social media platforms are not new. Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube have long faced scrutiny from lawmakers over how their products have exacerbated mental health problems among young people.
But with TikTok, lawmakers are also concerned that the Chinese government will use it to spy on American users. Last month, Shou Chew, the chief executive of TikTok, testified before Congress and tried to present TikTok as an independent company uninfluenced by China. He emphasized TikTok’s plan to protect American data and denied that the Chinese government controlled ByteDance, though he acknowledged that he reported directly to ByteDance’s chief executive, Liang Rubo.
“I think that with adults who don’t understand and don’t
have TikTok, and them, they see it as oh,
it’s from China.
It’s bad.
China bad.
They’re going to take data.
It’s not that simple.”
“American companies, specifically Apple
and Google, they’re notorious for collecting massive
amounts of data, so if people are uncomfortable with that,
they already have been comfortable with that
without knowing.
Privacy is really a thing of the past.”
“And we know everyone’s taking our data,
so I’m not really bothered that it’s going to,
to China.
Or even if it is, I don’t really care.”
“To me, it just seems like we’re at a point of little
to no return, and I’m not worried about it.
Like, at all.”
Despite concerns about TikTok, a national ban is still far off. But much narrower limits on the app have already been put in place. Some colleges, like Auburn University in Alabama, have banned the app from campus Wi-Fi networks. The Montana Legislature has approved a total ban of TikTok in the state.
But such prohibitions are difficult to enforce. In Alabama and elsewhere, users have already found their way back onto the platform.
“I don’t support the TikTok ban.”
“I do not support a ban on TikTok.
I love TikTok.”
“And I don’t know if I’m being delusional,
because I really —
I can’t really see my life without TikTok.”
“A ban seems like the final and most intense decision.”
“I support the ban on TikTok because I think the algorithm
they’ve created has a lot of negative effects,
especially towards attention span.”
“If it were to be banned, a bunch of people would lose
their jobs, would lose the safe space and community that
we deserve.”
“For me personally, I’m wondering what will I look
to do now for work because social media was something I
was really looking forward to working in following college.”
“I’m just sort of exasperated with the concept of
banning TikTok.
I’m like, if you’re going to do it, just do it.
Get it over with.”
Project CreditsReporterKalley Huang
Senior Producer Jeesoo Park
Executive ProducerSameen Amin
ProducerAlexandra Eaton
Video EditorShane O’Neill
Story EditorRebecca Lieberman
Produced by Alexandra Eaton, Shane O’Neill, Rebecca Lieberman, Jeesoo Park and Sameen Amin.
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