The imminent ban of TikTok in the United States

NEW YORK — On April 20, the House of Representatives passed a piece of legislation that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if the app’s parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t sell its stake within a year.

What does the looming TikTok ban in the United States mean for the app’s estimated 170 million users nationwide, and what can all of us do to better protect ourselves and our children from online threats? Or will it be more of a political issue? since in the senate 81 of its legislators voted in favor of censoring tik tok, since many have tik tok as their main source of information for news.

 “My thoughts are that the app should be banned in America,” asserted Steven McKeon, cybersecurity expert and founder of MacguyverTech. “I believe that application was purposely sent from China to corrode American youth.”

Critics of the app, including McKeon, cite concerns over kids’ use of TikTok that include exposure to inappropriate content and misinformation; engaging kids in dangerous behavior (through the form of challenges); cyberbullying; its addictive nature, which can impact sleep, attention span and overall mental health; and data privacy — a significant risk for TikTok users of all ages, notes McKeon.

And what do you think?