On Mar. 13, The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill for a nation-wide Tiktok ban. According to the Cable News Network (CNN), many government officials fear that Tiktok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, is collecting U.S. users’ information. If this is true, then the company would have to share the information with the Chinese government, if ordered. They also fear that the company is attempting to influence U.S. politics. 

Representatives from the popular social media app state that this ban would infringe upon users’ and the app’s rights to free speech. If the ban is successful in the Senate, then ByteDance will have five months to sell the app to another company or remove it from all U.S. app stores and devices. This isn’t the first U.S. Tiktok ban. According to CNN, in May 2023, there was a nationwide ban of Tiktok on all government-owned devices. 

This legislation has encouraged waves of protest amongst younger people, especially those who rely on Tiktok for a source of income. According to CNN, a Tiktok ban similar to the proposed bill in the U.S. was passed in India in 2020, and users have found ways to cope with its loss by turning to other social media apps for income and entertainment. 

While many fear that Tiktok will be banned in a matter of a few months, it could take even longer, depending on the speed of Senate proceedings. According to the Washington Post, many Senators wish to slow the process of voting on the bill, as they fear how the outcome will affect the upcoming presidential election in November. However, this could allow time for ByteDance to attempt to undermine the bill.