What would a TikTok ban mean for our safety online?
Issue #91
In case you missed it, US lawmakers have taken one big, lurching step towards banning TikTok. Now, a TikTok-free world might not sound that bad to you if you’re a parent. On average, teens spend nearly 2 hours a day on the platform, and if you’ve ever watched your own kid scoll this app, you know it’s incredibly good at keeping their attention. I admit, the thought of TikTok disappearing from the app store is kind of appealing, but in reality, it wouldn’t do anything to address the systemic dangers that our kids face online.
Only 31% of Americans think that TikTok should be banned. And yet, on Wednesday last week, the US House passed a bill that could result in a nationwide ban on TikTok. The bill passed with majority support, and lawmakers say they’re taking this action to protect US users’ data from the Chinese government.
The bill hasn’t passed the Senate yet, and it’s unclear whether it will. But if it does, TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, would be forced to sell its US operation to an American company—or face a total ban in the American market. The government seems to think that the greatest danger posed by technology is a foreign government's access to American data. But what about the American companies that harvest and profit off of our data with impunity?
Because I have two kids who use technology, I tend to think about this stuff through the lens of a parent. And I don’t believe my kids would be any safer using a version of TikTok owned by a US company. My main concern isn’t which government has access to their data. I’m more worried about the broader system that values user engagement over user wellbeing. I’m worried about platforms designed to keep us hooked, scrolling, liking and commenting for hours without even realizing it. I’m worried about companies that see my kids as a way to boost bottom lines. These are pervasive problems in the tech industry. They have nothing to do with where a company is headquartered. It’s a systemic problem, and arguably, US-based companies like Meta and Google are just as problematic.
Of course, it’s understandable to worry about foreign adversaries having access to Americans’ data, but you don’t need to be a foreign adversary to put American people at risk. Many American-based companies have a track record of harming users. This is especially true when it comes to children. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Discord have all come under fire for design decisions that negatively impact children. And they don’t do this kind of thing for political reasons, they do it for profits.
Banning TikTok—or forcing it to sell to an American company—won’t address the larger issues that put us and our kids at risk. It’s like eliminating unhealthy foods from one specific country while eating unhealthy foods made at home and expecting your health to improve. It just doesn’t work that way.
If we want to make technology better and safer, we need to approach it with nuance. We need to understand the mechanisms that are actually harming us and our children. These platforms push our kids towards toxic content. They harvest our data and sell it for profit without our expressed consent. They allow child sexual abuse material to flourish unchecked.
We need to address these dangers if we want to make the internet a safer place. Banning one Chinese-owned platform won’t do the trick.
A deeper dive
Here are a few helpful resources in case you want to really dig into today's topic:
This bill begs the question: who could possibly buy TikTok? According to the New York Times “the tricky thing is that forcing TikTok to sell would not solve the problems that lawmakers claim they are trying to address. Selling TikTok to a big tech company such as Google, Meta or Microsoft — after all, who else could afford its [estimated price of $84 billion] — would not make U.S. users’ data more secure. In fact, it would simply give the tech giant buying it a new trove of information about all of us that the new owner could use to enhance its already astoundingly detailed portraits.”
Lots of critics of this bill contend that banning TikTok might do more harm than good. As Vox puts it, “It is both a bill that would potentially upend the livelihoods of people who use the platform as an income source and a bill that would not adequately protect user data across social media. It is both a bill that could have serious consequences for online expression and a bill that seems to be created by people with little understanding of what TikTok actually does.”
TL;DR
Too long; didn't read. It shouldn't be a full-time job to keep up on industry news, so here is a mercifully quick summary of some other notable developments:
When I read this story about a new kind of online predator, it sounded like something from a horror movie. There is apparently “an emerging international network of online groups that have targeted thousands of children with a sadistic form of social media terror.” It’s not about financial extortion, but rather extreme coercion toward self-harm and even suicide. Vulnerable teens are being targeted primarily on Discord, but platforms like Instagram and even Roblox have been implicated. Parents need to be aware of this alarming trend—and kids must learn how to keep themselves safe, namely by not sharing any photos, videos or information that could be used to blackmail them.
According to Wired, there’s a new slew of get-rich-quick tutorials online—and they’ll teach you how to make AI-generated animated videos for kids. The publication identified several accounts that appear to be offering AI-generated videos already. These channels bill themselves as educational while offering videos with titles like “Pig Finger Family Song Baby Nursery Rhymes Colorful Cars Colors for Kids 45 Mins Collection Video.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like high-quality educational content to me.
And lastly
Here are a few more pieces of original writing from me and my team—just in case you're keen for more:
YouTube Kids bills itself as a safer alternative for younger users, but the platform has faced its share of controversy. My team wrote this parent’s guide here with all the information you need to know.
Parental control apps are often billed as a solution for keeping your kids safe online, but they do have limitations. Here’s a helpful guide for anyone considering adding one of these apps to their arsenal.