Is there an upcoming TikTok ban coming to the United States? Well, maybe. It all depends on several factors. Currently, the House of Representatives has passed a bill with an overwhelming majority in favor of a ban; however, as of right now, the bill still needs to pass through the Senate, and then to the President, which could take a substantial amount of time.
What does the bill say, exactly? The bill presents ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, with an ultimatum: sell the app in a six month time span, or face a total ban in the United States.
Representatives claim to support the bill because of concerns with ByteDance’s affiliations with China’s Communist Party, and the possibility of ByteDance giving sensitive user information to said party. There is also concern from the House that TikTok is presenting its audience with potential misinformation concerning the situation in Gaza.
The Senate is deliberating the bill without the same enthusiastic support that the House has demonstrated. If the bill does pass through the Senate, President Joe Biden would sign the bill. He said if the bill does reach that far, he would sign it, voicing his support for either a ban on TikTok or its ownership being altered to a new parent company.
If the bill makes it through the legislative process, ByteDance could still appeal and challenge the decision through the courts, which would make the process and timeline of the ban even lengthier.
If ByteDance refuses to sell TikTok amid a successful ban, the app would not simply disappear from users’ devices. TikTok would be removed from the app store, and would also stop receiving updates on devices in which it currently exists.
These complications make the bill’s threat seem less imminent and potent. However, many Americans have mixed opinions on a potential TikTok ban. As many as 50% of Americans favor the ban, according to a survey of U.S. adults conducted by the Pew Research Center. This figure represents all adult Americans. People in the 18-29 age bracket largely oppose the ban while Americans older than this show support. The survey also found that people who use TikTok largely oppose the ban, while people who do not use the app support it.
Whether the bill passes or not, it is important for Americans to be informed on the state of TikTok within the United States. A ban on one of the largest and fastest-growing social media apps in the world could mean that many people would have to turn to another source of entertainment and information, and many businesses would have to turn to other platforms for advertising.
