TikTok has been a hot topic and quite a controversial issue for the US government and policy makers since it first launched in 2016 and became the preferred video-sharing platform for users around the globe. It's now one of the biggest social sites in the world, with more than a billion active users, and its popularity shows no signs of waning any time soon.
Concerns about users' data privacy and security, however, as well as the app's algorithm presenting harmful content to young users, has spurred recent changes from lawmakers and the company itself.
The federal government now is in involved in regulations related to TikTok.
The Foreign Affairs Committee has granted President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok in a 24-16 vote by lawmakers.
"TikTok is a national security threat … It is time to act," warned Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the committee who sponsored the bill, per Reuters. "Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the CCP (Communist Party of China) a backdoor to all their personal information. It’s a spy balloon into their phone."
The bill still will need to pass through the full US House and Senate, though, and the Senate is primarily controlled by the Democrats, many of whom have voiced opposition to the bill.
Government agencies learned this week they will have to remove TikTok from any federal devices or systems within 30 days, Reuters reported.
If the ban passes, it could also prevent anyone in the US from downloading or accessing the app. Some are calling this government overreach.
"A U.S. ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion people who use our service worldwide," said a TikTok representative, according to Reuters.
But TikTok isn’t the only entity to oppose the bill. The American Civil Liberties Union said it is “a serious violation of our First Amendment rights,” according to Reuters. A chief executive from TikTok will appear before the Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.
Amid news of the decision, TikTok has released new safety features for teens and families.
It is no secret that young people have viewed harmful content on TikTok almost since its inception. Whether this is by design or the algorithm is simply pushing the most popular content, which happens in some cases, what is harmful is debatable. Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, would appear to agree with the former statement.
"TikTok has won the race for the hearts and minds of 14- to 24-year-olds in the United States and the United Kingdom … It is the crack cocaine of algorithms," he said, according to BBC News. "It is the most addictive, it is the most dangerous and the one that needs to be dealt with most urgently."
New safety measures have been released that intend to make TikTok a safer space for its younger users.
“In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit," reads a statement on the company website. When teens reach the 60-minute time limit, a prompt will appear to enter a passcode to continue using the app. Parents using the family pairing option can set a daily screen limit and set or enter the passcode to enable additional time on the app.
To empower families, more features have been added for “family pairing,” including the ability to mute notifications and customize screen time limits. Limits now can be set around kid’s school schedules, family travels, or holiday breaks, according to TikTok.
“We hope these features will continue to help families establish an ongoing dialogue about safety and well-being in our digital world," TikTok shared of the new features.
It is unknown whether this latest bill will be passed.
The Biden administration has not said whether it is in favor of or against the proposed bill.
Whether the new time limit feature improves the type of content younger users see on the video sharing app remains to be seen, but hopefully families will take advantage of the new features to improve the experiences of their children and teen on the app and help make it a safer online space for everyone.
