LRW - Overall, No. Even though the Federal Government can restrict freedom of speech whenever they wish or when it is convenient (Schenck v. United States). I argue that they frankly shouldn’t, nor is it the expressly defined duty of the Federal Government to restrict a public forum.
Ava- I don’t think I really agree with any platform like this just being outright shut down, but I can definitely see some benefits to a TikTok-less society. For example, less red dye poisoning from eating chamoy pickle kits, and probably the improvement of attention spans in general.
Bex - No. As someone going into social media marketing, it is much easier to create/edit my 15-second videos on TikTok than on Instagram Reels. Instagram has an awful video editing system and it’s way more accessible to edit my videos on TikTok, and then export them for other social media channels. Also, RIP to CapCut if/when TikTok kicks the bucket.
LIZ- nu uh.
Connor- While I don’t agree with the precedent it sets, I’m not entirely opposed to it. TikTok is unique to the social media world due to its operations being run non domestically in China, as opposed to Facebook, or X, which are run by two notable should’ve-been MMA opponents based in America. Congress is viewing this as an information battle between the states and China, due to the recent revelations of how much information TikTok actually accumulates from a user, so this gives them the unique ability to justify assuming legislative control in this way. The ultimatum is that the app can stay alive in the U.S. if it is sold to a company based in the U.S. What I find most interesting is that this is a bipartisan bill, so there is clearly some unity here. This is a complicated matter in the ever growing debate of free speech and its lengths in this country.
Ashley - Instagram reels are genuinely so much worse, if anything should be banned it should be dashcam videos that live of my feed. Also where else would I find my workouts, from one girl who is scared to go to the gym to another, look up “shy girl ab workout (w/ muscles used visuals)”.
Jon - No. This law would give the government power to ban any app they want, so long as they consider it a national security threat. That’s quite a lot of power, and quite a bad precedent. No, they should not ban TikTok, or anything else. Although it is nice to see that Congress has a pulse, and that if they really care about something, they can get stuff done. Surely if they can come together to ban TikTok so quickly they can do stuff about things that actually matter, like healthcare and infrastructure, right?
Mikayla - No. It is really upsetting to see our government coming together over frivolous matters like banning a social media app primarily used by young adults, but can’t cooperate on serious national matters like healthcare or immigration.
Maddy - Is it bad I want to say yeah? I hate TikTok, and by that I mean that I am an addict and I had to delete it off my phone, but I would love to revert to a TikTok-less society. We would probably have longer attention spans, and I might be able to do a single homework assignment without scrolling for 30 minutes.