The case — for now — against an imminent TikTok ban in NC | Opinion
On Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly made a decision that is going to upset a lot of young people.
In a unanimous vote, the NC Senate voted to ban TikTok on all state government networks and devices. Legislators say the app is a “high risk platform,” along with WeChat, another Chinese social platform, and Telegram, a messaging platform operated out of the United Arab Emirates that is used by extremist groups domestically and abroad.
TikTok is by far the most popular of the three. It has 150 million accounts across the United States and more than 1 billion monthly users worldwide. It’s the fastest-growing social network since Facebook. In spite of the comparison, TikTok is far more popular among Gen Z and Millennials than its American counterpart. That contrast is what makes a ban at the state (and potentially national) level so striking.
TikTok is an app that comes with controversy. It was almost banned by former president Donald Trump in 2020 because of its origins in China. The state bill and a looming national ban are more of the same. The North Carolina bill does not mention China by name, but labeling TikTok as a “high risk platform” is almost certainly tied to the app’s connections with the Chinese government. The U.S. Justice Department is currently investigating the app’s improper surveillance of at least two U.S. journalists who cover the tech industry. Aside from cybersecurity, concerns about the app’s addictive qualities and racial inequity have been raised for years.
It’s okay to be concerned about TikTok, even necessary. The company’s CEO, Shou Chew, will visit Congress Thursday to answer questions about the platform from legislators, just like Mark Zuckerberg did in 2018. But legislating a ban on state-owned wifi networks — including those on college campuses — is a short-sighted decision based on incomplete information. It is a decision based in paranoia, and it is a decision that the senators’ youngest voters — Gen Z and Millennials — are going to feel strongly about - and may remember in 2024.
Young people love TikTok. The app is most popular among people under 35. It is more than a platform for attractive people to show off dance moves. It is a platform that teaches. Academics talk about their research there. People explain how to fix things around the house or offering financial advice. News companies — including The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer — use the platform to engage younger readers.
The app’s algorithm prioritizes local content for users and allows local restaurants, shops and creators to flourish. It helped businesses crushed by the pandemic, and it continues to provide a platform for elected officials (like North Carolina Representative Jeff Jackson) to interact with a constituency that is often stereotyped as disengaged in politics at all levels. Even U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo admitted that, as a politician, she thought “you’re going to literally lose every voter under 35, forever.”
No one will base their vote solely on TikTok. There will be few, if any, people who switch parties in 2024 because of a North Carolina ban on college campuses, but it is something that gives young voters another reason to avoid the voting booth altogether. When combined with the roadblocks to Biden’s student debt relief program and the fall of Roe v. Wade, young voters are getting a consistent message that the things they care about are not being represented in their state and national governments.
Jackson recently stated that he supports banning the app if it is not sold to an American company, but he also said that someone needs to explain what’s going on to the 150 million people using the app every month.
“If you’re going to pull the plug on one of the largest digital communities in the country, you have to make a very clear case for why you’re doing that,” he told Bloomberg.
He’s right. Whether it’s Congress or the North Carolina General Assembly, banning any social media platform must come with an explanation to the folks who use the app the most. And right now, North Carolina doesn’t have a good enough “why.”
