The popular social media platform, TikTok, faces yet another threat for the fourth time. American senators introduced a new bill giving TikTok an ultimatum:
Sell the app within six months to an American company or lose American audiences and get banned in the country.
TikTok has gone through similar issues in the past with being accused of stealing information and data. The app’s company, ByteDance, is a Chinese-owned company that has many government officials worried about the safety of American users.
However, many American users protest the upcoming bill since many influencers, businesses, and creators make their living off of the app.
TikTok has become a central part of many communities across the world, helping the growth of businesses.
Despite what American users say, the Senate seems dead set on getting TikTok banned.
Even President Joe Biden has come forward to say if it passes and gets sent to him he’ll sign it.
Teenagers are one of the primary consumers of TikTok which means this ban will directly affect them as well.
A student who wishes to remain anonymous comments, “I think the government is being paranoid like they were after World War II and then thinking there were communists in the country which led to many people losing their jobs and unfairly getting a sentence for an accusation.”
The Red Scare was a phenomenon that occurred in America during the Cold War where America was trying to stop communist propaganda from spreading but also took away American freedoms in the process.
Similar to this situation, American lawmakers believe China is feeding pro-Hamas propaganda to Americans due to the recent Israel-Hamas conflict.
“I think it would be absolutely detrimental to free speech and the accessibility of information, as well as the expression of our views as a nation, “ says Newt Avellana, a junior student at Kaiser High School.
Many students at Kaiser High School feel the same way. A ban on TikTok would be a violation of every American’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
Another opinion from an anonymous Kaiser student says, “I think they’re serious about banning TikTok this time because the government wants its share of the large amount of money TikTok is making.”
It looks like the majority of Kaiser students and teenagers, in general, are taking the ban seriously this time with how far the government is pushing.
“I think it is extremely dangerous and yet another example of the government’s obsession with control, ” Avellana says.
If TikTok does not win and ends up having to deal with the ultimatum, it will most likely be sold to an American company.
Since TikTok is an incredibly profitable app, they will have no problem selling it to an American company. But how will this action end up affecting its future? Only time will tell
