SDSU students share mixed feelings about proposed TikTok ban

By Michelle Armas, Senior Staff Writer

On March 13, the U.S. Congress voted to ban TikTok if its China-based company, ByteDance, doesn’t sell the app to an owner who satisfies the U.S. government.

During a live hearing, U.S. officials agreed that TikTok poses a national security risk. Two-thirds of the legislation was in favor of the bill being passed.

A few days prior, President Joe Biden expressed his plan to endorse the legislation. When reporters questioned him about the bill, Biden said “If they pass it, I’ll sign it.”

On April 23, the U.S. Senate passed the bill, giving TikTok nine months to sell to an approved U.S. owner, with a threemonth extension in the case of a pending sale.

If ByteDance does not sell the app within this period, then U.S. app stores and internet service providers will no longer be allowed to offer the app for download or updates.

The bill now goes to President Joe Biden for signing.

However, it is likely that ByteDance will challenge the legality of the bill, delaying the ban even further.

San Diego State University students shared their thoughts on one of Generation Z’s most commonly used apps.

Diego Delgadillo, a fourth-year journalism student, has his own comedy podcast and frequently shares content on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. He shared that artists on social media are due for a new medium.

“The real creatives and the people who are pushing to make art are going to do it no matter where the outlet is,” Delgadillo said. “So if TikTok is gone, there will be something else that is going to replace it.”

Delgadillo also mentioned that some people have just “skated by” because of the format and algorithm, so he thinks it’s good to “weed” out those who aren’t genuinely creative.

“I hate the way TikTok has fried our brains to have to rely on art to be served a certain way,” he said.

However, other students mentioned that they think the ban is a way for the U.S. to control the young generation and keep foreign powers at bay.

“It’s a very large thing to unpack,” said Sonor Liotta, a first-year marketing student. “At the base level, it’s xenophobia because America has never had good relations with China and also the American people always have propaganda against China.”

Liotta also said that on a deeper level, it’s a “power structure issue” because he thinks that a foreign power has the ability to get young people “riled up.”

During congressional hearings in March 2023, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, testified to the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the Chinese government does not have a direct relation with TikTok.

“We do not promote or remove content at the request of the Chinese government,” Chew said. “We do not collect body, face or voice data to identify our users.”

However, after Chew’s statement, Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and the committee questioned the truth of his statements.

Rodgers pointed out that Chew had direct contact with affiliates of the Chinese Communist Party, which he confirmed to be true.

Some students, like Greta Houge, a first-year engineering student, believe that it would be more beneficial for the U.S. government to focus on other national issues.

“I think it’s kind of stupid. TikTok is for entertainment, and it’s not the most important issue for them to be worrying about,” Houge said.

Some users even protested outside the White House, urging the government not to go through with the bill.

Despite the voices of everyday users and influencers who benefit from the app, the stance of the U.S. government remains firm.