Why Tik Tok Should Be Banned
By Ethan K., 7th Grade
TikTok is killing people! TikTok is one social media app which is a way of communicating and creating just video content. To say the least, a lot of people use TikTok. According to Statistica, as of February 2025, almost 136 million people in the United States use it. Although a lot of people like TikTok, it can be harmful to them. TikTok should be banned because China is stealing people’s data, someone can get addicted easily, and it influences people’s minds in a bad way.
China is manipulating the privacy of American people. This is a problem because not only are they a rival country and can find leaks in the government, but it can even cause deaths. Since TikTok can leak information to the Chinese government, it can decrease American national security. “Critics argue that the company might not be able to keep the information safe from the Chinese government. The Chinese government, in turn, could use the information to keep people under surveillance or to carry out other criminal acts” (Britannica Kids). With secret papers and information, China can threaten the United States. Another issue is individual privacy. For example, a murderer could find someone because of TikTok. “The Chinese government can spy on American users and gain access to their sensitive information including names, phone numbers, location data, financial information, or even browsing history” (Joaquin). This information could get stolen, hacked, or sold. Consequently, TikTok can put our country's safety at risk and can share someone's information without them knowing.
Not only do people get their privacy taken away, but they can also get addicted to TikTok. This impacts children the most. “TikTok’s algorithm makes it highly addictive, particularly for youth who spend hours of their day scrolling on the app. Many people have developed serious screen-time addictions that have impacted their social development and mental health” (Joaquin). Young people can easily become addicted to TikTok. For example, if someone decided to watch cat videos, TikTok would keep on showing cat videos to make them more addicted to the app. If they become too addicted, it can be bad for their health because of the blue light of screens which can affect your sleep in a bad way. It could also make it harder to make friends because you could only want to be on TikTok instead of being with them. In addition to kids becoming addicted, they can have a smaller attention span. “Data from these studies showed that users between the ages of 11-26 have been linked to decreased attention spans when using the app for more than 90 minutes (about 1 and a half hours) a day.” If kids and adults use the app too much, they will have a hard time paying attention to things in the real world. Overall, if people use TikTok too much, they may get addicted.
China controls what people are watching on TikTok and it influences the way people think. The US government has already expressed their concerns over TikTok. The Supreme Court voted to ban TikTok but the current president used an executive order to wait and see if an American citizen would buy it. “They [United States government] are also concerned about the possibility that the Chinese Government is using TikTok to spread misinformation, propaganda, and influence viewpoints, opinions, and elections within America.” Overall, the US government is uneasy about TikTok because the Chinese government can control the content. “TikTok only needs one of these to figure you out: How long you linger over a piece of content. Every second you hesitate or rewatch, the app is tracking you. Through this one powerful signal, TikTok learns your most hidden interests and emotions, and drives you deep into rabbit holes of content that are hard to escape.” (Wall Street Journal) Ultimately, TikTok manipulates users to take control of their minds.
The US government needs to ban TikTok as soon as possible. Data of US citizens is being stolen by the Chinese government. Additionally, not only do adults get addicted, but many kids get addicted to the app easily. Finally, TikTok influences people's minds in a bad way. I recommend that if you are using TikTok, stop before your data gets stolen, you get too addicted, or you get indoctrinated.