The House wants the US to ban TikTok. That's a mistake.
Congress can’t agree on anything. They can’t agree on gun violence, health care, economics or foreign policy. They can barely avoid a government shutdown. Apparently, the only thing they can agree on is banning TikTok.
On Wednesday, The House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that could practically ban the video platform in the United States after years of hand-wringing over the app’s ties to China. Unlike Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and similar social media companies, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing.
Also, unlike Meta and X, TikTok is predominantly populated by young people. Both of the other social media platforms pose risks to national security, but they are based in the United States.
And, maybe more important, these legislators love Facebook and Instagram. They’ve run campaigns using Twitter. They know how all of these U.S.-based apps work, because they have become part of our daily lives over two decades.
Biden, get off of TikTok:I don't want my president to be a TikTok influencer. Biden is wasting time making jokes.
Congress' focus on TikTok isn't in line with voters
These representatives may ask Mark Zuckerberg to attend congressional hearings about the dangers of social media, but they wouldn’t dare consider abandoning Meta.
It doesn’t matter that Facebook sold user data that ultimately led to a disinformation campaign that landed Donald Trump in the White House, and it doesn’t matter that Instagram is just as psychologically damaging for young people.
Viewer discretion advised:TikTok videos of passengers behaving badly on flights may not be real
I understand the theory behind banning TikTok. If there were a large-scale data breach or the possibility of spyware, it would be impossible to punish the people behind the company in court. Unfortunately, the threat of legal action has not made U.S.-based social media sites safer.
It would behoove Congress to focus on actual issues, like the people dying because of the money we have invested in foreign military operations or the loss of women’s body autonomy. Instead, they want to pick apart an app that they don’t know how to use and don’t want to learn more about.
Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno and Facebook facebook.com/PequenoWrites
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