What Students Are Saying About Banning TikTok

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Washington is considering a ban on the popular app. We asked teenagers what they thought. Their answers may surprise you.

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By The Learning Network

TikTok, the social media app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has long worried American lawmakers, but those concerns — which range from national security risks to the app's effects on young people — came to a fever pitch last month when a House committee voted to advance legislation that would allow President Biden to ban TikTok from all devices nationwide.

Two-thirds of American teenagers are on the app. So we asked students: "Should the United States Ban TikTok?"

Most were opposed. Their arguments included the fact that many apps — not just TikTok — are collecting and selling their data; that a ban would violate the first amendment; that TikTok is fun and helpful for users and lucrative for creators; and that the government has bigger problems it should be worrying about.

But a sizable portion of commenters was in favor, citing national security concerns, the app's effects on young people's mental health, and the ease with which they can get around restrictions. For some, the possibility of a TikTok ban brought on something like relief: "I wouldn't be upset," Timothy from WHS wrote, "and to be honest, I think it would be for the better when it comes to me and kids around my age because it becomes addicting."

Thank you to all those who joined the conversation on our writing prompts this week, including students from Maya Angelou French Immersion School in Hillcrest Heights, Md.; Newport High School in Bellevue, Wash.; South Korea and Colombia.

Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear as they were originally submitted.

The push to ban TikTok due to its data breaching is hypocritical at best. If you use any social media besides TikTok, chances are that you have had your data stolen and sold many times before. Why do we allow platforms like Facebook to get a free pass with stealing and distributing our data across the world, yet we attack more foreign platforms like TikTok with our metaphorical pitchforks out.

— Branden, Glenbard West High School, Glen Ellyn, IL

TikTok is another form of entertainment and news outlet. If the government is considering banning TikTok, why not ban Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat? All are forms of social media that everyone has access to all around the world. The government needs to focus its attention and resources on other things that are posing a literal threat to society like gun violence and the hungry that are without home or food throughout our country.

— Rosario, Atrisco Heritage Academy High School

Basically every app or website nowadays collects "cookies" or personal information, often without the permission of the user. I don't feel as if the outrage surrounding the app is warranted because data collection is not a new concept. Lawmakers have been aware of the fact that smartphones are used to generate information about the American public, and if it is not collected directly by governments like China, it is being bought by those governments. I do agree that internet privacy laws should be strengthened, but I feel as if TikTok is being treated unfairly because of its primary audience: young people. Lawmakers are afraid that young people are being brainwashed in favor of the Chinese government, as if we have no agency over discerning what is right and what is wrong. I believe that TikTok has the same pros and cons as all other social media platforms, but I think that it would be a loss if it was banned in the United States.

— Sophie, Nashville

In my opinion, yes TikTok may be a big threat to teenagers. But … there is a WAY bigger threat to teenager and really any child, gun laws. I see adults that are in charge of our "safety" more concerned about an app than making going to school safe for everyone. In the bigger picture shouldn't we worry about the problems that we’re constantly getting faced with? What problem will be solved if TikTok is banned? There's so many other uses to TikTok, there's therapists that make videos to help people go through their situation. There's moms sharing helpful tips & recipes to people, people you never knew you could connect with bonding over the same things. That's not to say there's a downfall to TikTok, there is. But is it so major that it's making headlines over a BIG problem in America?

— Victoria, Chicago

The bipartisan attacks on TikTok in the congressional hearing represent the American government's ignorance of the greater problems that divide our country, such as gun laws. Congress refuses to work together to solve these problems, and instead attack smaller problems such as the TikTok data collection. This government ineptitude should be immediately removed, and it is our responsibility to elect new and in-touch officials to replace our current officials that do not deal with our country's biggest problems.

— Samuel, California

As the first amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. "

By getting rid of an app that is used by many to promote their beliefs, not just in America, but in other parts of the world in which information can spread across seas to better educate people on current events would go against the Constitution … Removing those beliefs by making it impossible to use an app, would diminish the viewing of said beliefs and encroach on people's freedoms.

— Stacey, Galway, NY

Getting rid of TikTok could cause a lot of problems for creators that use it as a source of income, plus a lot of people use it to get messages out to people because a lot of apps don't grab the attention of people as well as TikTok does. All people big or small, boy or girl, tall or short use this app because it lets people voice their opinions where it can get some traction and avoid a lot of censorship whereas other apps it would get drowned out by all the people who have millions of followers and their algorithms would avoid random users who have maybe don't have as many followers.

— Alex, Glenbard West High School, Glen Ellyn, IL

TikTok has provided me with some of the funniest videos I have ever seen that provide me a lot of joy, but along with that, there are also some very important messages being spread via the app. I have seen anywhere from 60 second political breakdowns, to math teachers posting videos about the Pythagorean theorem, and even petitions being spread through the app to eliminate The Willow Project which is helping with climate change. All of these things are a great source of joy and information that the app gives us that I don't think should be banned from everyone.

— Olivia, Hoggard High School

Along with the app taking away teenagers’ time and having damaging effects on their mental health, it can possibly be a threat to our country. Due to China's authoritarian government, they could possibly collect all our personal data we have entered into TikTok. China could also influence the way we view their country by promoting certain videos, and hiding others. It even was reported that spies in China have collected different IP Addresses, and that's a horribly scary thing.

— Stella, Hoggard High School, Wilmington, NC

The lawmakers’ concerns about TikTok come with a completely reasonable stance. ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, already had a shady track record with employees supposedly spying on and stealing private information of American journalists; having a nugget of mistrust in the platform is more than justified. Especially with China's strict censorship and authoritarian policies and their potential to influence American people with Chinese ideas and agenda, TikTok can be considered a sociopolitical nuke from American perspective.

— Justin, ROK

If TikTok continues to be owned by China, the United States should 1000% ban TikTok. Since TikTok's user data is essentially owned by China, and TikTok is inextricably linked with China, the social media app is a national security risk. In order to protect the United States and its citizens, the U.S. Government should ban TikTok.

— Annabelle, Los Angeles, CA

I believe TikTok should be banned. While I don't agree that banning TikTok would dramatically help the concerns of privacy, I think the concern of influencing young minds is much more the reason it should be banned … I think specifically the formatting of TikTok is extremely harmful to young brains. As someone who currently works in day care, interning in an elementary school, I am exposed almost every day to the realities that young children are facing. It is extremely nerve-racking to hear children ages 5-12 spend hours a day on TikTok. Childhood is our prime years where opinions and identities are being formed. Spending hours a day on social media can have a detrimental effect on the next generation. Creating a time limit and asking parents to monitor screen time is not helpful because kids will find a way around it and still have access to the app. The only way to fix this is by banning TikTok completely …

— Julia, Newport High School

I wholeheartedly believe that TikTok should be banned. This statement should leave you to believe that I don't spend just as much time on TikTok as the next person, because I do. Just yesterday I spent 2 hours and 36 minutes on it … My experience on TikTok has led to so many issues, some that may seem small and silly but really it's just sad. I, along with countless others, have spent thousands of hours on TikTok since it came out and this has led to body issues, a decline in mental health, and much more horrible things.

— Raney, Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC

Personally I think TikTok should be banned because of all the stuff that lies within this platform. For starters, people that are in a young age (under the age of 13+) could easily bypass the age restriction and say they’re older. People can upload videos to TikTok, all the videos such as educational, memes, cooking, and more. The terms of service (TOS) claim that you can't make videos that are threatening and even more, but people still do it, videos from gun violence and "challenges."

— Jayden, Kennedy Middle School

I think that Congress should not ban TikTok but place heavy restrictions on the company to protect Americans. The problem is that a foreign adversary of the United States has access to all of that data. This could lead to enemies of the U.S. trying to influence people and even as far as elections. However, there are ways around that but none of them are easy. Congress could try and force policy change within the company or even the sale of the company.

— Connor, York High School

I think that the U.S. should take action by passing laws that demand privacy and accountability from all tech companies. Although TikTok is the biggest platform, it isn't the only platform that takes data from us. Every social media that we use currently takes data from us, we just don't know what they do with it as users. They are focusing on TikTok because the data is going to another country, and we don't have much control over what they do with the data. I think that congress could fix this problem for all social media by making stricter privacy laws. They should create general laws for all social media companies about collecting data and personal information. It is not fair to TikTok to single them out and only ban them when every app is doing it. Passing laws is much easier than trying to ban an app. Banning an app is limiting the freedom of the people. By passing a law that protects our privacy, we keep our freedom while staying safe.

— ava, elmhurst il

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