TikTok Ban

Everyone is talking about it…even if they don’t understand or use it.

The TikTok ban bill has passed the House and is now in the Senate’s hands. The TikTok bill or the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act may or may not pass the Senate. If it is passed and goes to the President’s desk, he has indicated it will be signed into law. If that happens, a ban will occur after 165 days IF ByteDance, the Chinese business that owns the platform, does not agree to a sale.

Data protection, privacy concerns, and the growing concern regarding children’s safety across all social media platforms are at the forefront of this iteration of the bill. Most government agencies have already banned TIkTok and other platforms on their devices. Many states are taking on social media as well. Just this week, Florida has signed legislation affecting those under the age of 16. This bill will prohibit those under the age of 14 from having accounts of their own but will allow teens who are 14 and 15 to own an account with parental consent.

TikTok is fighting back with a $2.1 million campaign in states where Democrats in the Senate are up for re-election. They hope TikTok users will reach out to their senators and put pressure on them in regard to the bill that is awaiting a vote in the Senate. The states where these ads will be shown are Nevada, Montana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, as well as New York and Massachusetts where TikTok hopes young voters and journalists will see the messages and put pressure on their representatives.