TikTok, a very popular social media platform, has faced numerous threats by the United States government about banning the platform in the country, affecting millions of users including Freedom students. 

The United States government wants to ban Tiktok due to the allegations that they are stealing U.S. citizens’ data and selling it to the Chinese government, as TikTok is a Chinese company. Some U.S. government offices have already banned their employees from having the app, as they are high-risk targets. 

On Mar 23, 2023, the U.S. government brought TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in for a hearing in front of Congress to answer their questions about the app’s security. Chew addressed the rumors regarding the selling of American data to the Chinese government, stating that they do not do that and that security is an important matter for the app. He also mentioned that TikTok is creating an additional layer of data security, as they are currently creating a database in Texas, storing all American data and being overseen by American workers.

American citizens have varied opinions on whether or not they support the ban. The app has over 150 million American users of all ages across the country. This includes FHS students, as many of them have the app, posting videos and viewing others. Similar to the rest of America, FHS students have different views on the banning of the app, as some believe it would be good as a matter of national security.

“I think we should ban TikTok because it is bad in the long run since it is heavily rumored that China is potentially using our data to get information, even if they have good intentions,” said sophomore Jaden Moon.

However, other FHS students really enjoy the app, as they find it entertaining and informative regarding current events and other miscellaneous advice. Many also use TikTok as a way to interact with other students, sending them videos that they find interesting or funny, commenting, or messaging them on the app.

“I don’t want them to ban TikTok because it’s entertaining watching videos, and it’s fun doing TikToks with my friends. It also helps me when I need to know something because I can quickly search for something and a video will appear explaining it to me,” said sophomore Saanvi Oberai.

The app faces a great loss of business if the United States decides to ban it. The potential ban is currently involved with the Restrict Act, which centers around national security and the Internet. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the bill, and it is currently still in the draft stages, but will possibly be voted on later in 2023.