Americans think banning TikTok would do wonders for their mental health and productivity – but they are also worried about losing access to it as a news source.
That was the consensus among New Yorkers interviewed by DailyMail.com today as Congress passed a bill that will force the force the app’s Chinese parent company to divest or else face a ban in US app stores.
‘I would be annoyed for about three days,’ said one former middle school teacher. ‘I spend too much time on it, but it is very entertaining and I’d ultimately be upset about it,’ said a woman in her 20s.
But others said they valued the way the app exposes them to news and lifestyle content, and they fear they could be about to lose what has become a major new source for millions of young Americans.
‘Anything I have a question about, I look it up on TikTok,’ said one young woman. ‘It’s a great way for information to get spread so quickly,’ said another, ‘I think it shouldn’t get banned.’
‘Maybe I spend too much time on it, but it is very entertaining,’ said one New Yorker. ‘I would ultimately be upset about it’
‘Trump will bring it back, trust me,’ said another New Yorker. ‘It’s not a problem.’
Some even said their mental health would be improved if TikTok was gone.
Most people interviewed by DailyMail.com expressed a sense of loss or disappointment about the looming ban. Those who did not either didn’t know or didn’t care.
Only one respondent seemed aware of the national security concern, but he repeated with confidence: ‘Trump will bring it back.’
‘I’d be sad,’ said one person interviewed, who reported using it more than all other apps. ‘I love TikTok,’ she told DailyMail.com.
The proposed ban is based on the fear that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could misuse people’s personal data and possibly even hand it over to the Chinese government – something it could be theoretically compelled to do, under Chinese law.
TikTok has consistently denied the allegations, but US lawmakers moved one step closer to enacting the ban today, as the House of Representatives voted 352-65 to approve the bill.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who as president used his executive authority to order ByteDance to sell TikTok, has now voiced his opposition to it – shortly after meeting with Republican megadonor Jeff Yass whose company holds a $20 billion stake in ByteDance.
Meanwhile, TikTok has been on a lobbying frenzy to shore up support among senators, as the next step before the law passes will be a vote by the US Senate.
The wildly popular video sharing app has more than 150 million American users and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance
Another woman interviewed by DailyMail.com today said she would not care very much about the ban because the app is ‘very addicting,’ and a ban would ‘give us a chance to look up and be more present.’
She also pointed out that there are other places to find content.
‘I understand why people would be upset,’ she said, ‘but personally I don’t think I would care too much.’
One older German man expressed that he didn’t know anything about social media, nor did he know what Congress was when he was interviewed.
But he also expressed that members of his generation have done many things that they were told not to, and he encouraged young Americans to follow suit.
‘Maybe I spend too much time on it,’ said another respondent, ‘but I would ultimately be upset about it.’
Similarly, another respondent said, ‘I think I would be annoyed for about three days, but then I would get over it.’
The man, a former middle school teacher, said that the app was ‘detrimental to children’s education’ because of its effects on children’s attention span.
‘I understand why people would be upset, but personally, I don’t think I would care too much,’ one New Yorker said.
‘I think I would be annoyed for about three days, but then I would get over it,’ another New Yorker told DailyMail.com.
Fears about the Chinese government gaining unauthorized access to Americans’ data has earned bipartisan support for the proposed ban: 73 percent of House Democrats and 90 percent of House Republicans voted in favor.
After House approval, the next step is for the Senate to vote on the bill.
If approved, it will go to Joe Biden for his signature. President Biden has already pledged he would sign the bill, even though his campaign is posting on the app.
In the event that TikTok does get banned in the US, multiple respondents told DailyMail.com they would spend their phone time on X instead – though they each called it by its old name, Twitter.
Some said they would spend less time on their phones.
‘I might have more time to chill, take a walk,’ one respondent said.
