Social media app “Tik Tok” will be banned starting on Sunday the 9th sending all users now to “Xiaohongshu”; better known as “Red Note”, another Chinese own social media app, out of retaliation. The ban has caused a massive outrage for American citizens with many mocking the U.S government on their reasoning for the ban being implemented. The U.S states, or in better words, believe, that the TikTok app is own or in relation with the Chinese communist party; They also continue to argue that the app is a threat to national security for the app “stealing” American users data. During the hearing for the ban back in 2024 TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, was repeatedly asked overblown accusations like “have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship?”, “Have you ever been a member of the Chinese communist party?”, “have you ever been associated or affiliated with the Chinese communist party?”. CEO Shou Zi Chew answered repeatedly stating that he was in fact Singaporean and served his country, as well as saying he had no association with the Chinese Communist Party, which Senator Tom Cotton ignored many times.
Since the app has 170 million American users that being about most of our population. Many speak out about their opinion on the ban since it was a source of entertainment, a platform for others to share their story and life, as well as a great way of promoting businesses small and big; it was even used to share their political opinion, news on world affairs, and a way to educate others. Many have stated how the ban is unconstitutional and in violation of our first amendment rights. This brings the question to bell high school students. Do you think the tik tok ban violates your first amendment rights? If it does, then why? Explain.
Question: Do you think The tik tok ban violates your first amendment rights? If it does, then why? Explain.
Student Opinions:
Genesis– “Yes, 100%. I see TikTok as an app TikTok where many people can express themselves and find a new community of people. Tiktok is also a form of entertainment for a lot of people and I’m literally on the app everyday because it makes me happy.”
Rowan– ‘’If you take away TikTok, you take away people’s method of expressing themselves. It’s true that there are other social media apps that function similarly to TikTok, but there’s no doubt that TikTok is the most popular and intuitive app to use to create short form content. Not to mention all of the small businesses that rely on TikTok to promote their products. Ultimately, TikTok is a place where people go to entertain themselves, to escape their otherwise mundane lives. TikTok is not the “evil” that the government should be focusing on.”
Andro– “When it comes to TikTok, a lot of people from our generation use it. TikTok is a form of expression for some, where they can entertain and be entertained. Removing this app is a violation of our first amendment right, considering some people do get their news from it. Yes, there is a ton of fake news or false information, but people also use it to get important information that the news won’t cover out there. There are other social media platforms, but TikTok is one of the easiest apps to figure out, and people can freely post things without having the fear of being judged. TikTok is used by almost every generation, and the content on it caters to other people, with a more flexible ‘for you’ page compared to apps like Instagram. People with similar interests are able to connect with each other through TikTok, regardless of the language they speak or the country they live in. The only downside I have to admit is that it can get a bit addicting. Honestly, I’ve had to set a timer on my phone just so I don’t waste my day being unproductive, and had an issue where my attention span was shortened because of it. So yes, I believe banning TikTok is a violation of our first amendment, because without it, people wouldn’t be able to explore who they are.”
Another student, Dice Peña, had this to say,”Yes, because it’s a platform where people express their thoughts and opinions. It’s a platform where people are allowed to speak freely. If you take that away, you take away a huge platform for those thoughts and opinions.”