Gun violence, abortion bans, fatal illnesses in children, sex education bans, inflation, taxes, and climate change. These are just a few of the problems in this country, but clearly, they are not as severe as an app called TikTok. On March 13th, 2024, the House passed a bill that states either Tiktok gets banned from the United States or has to leave its parent company and get sold to an American one.
People in the media are freaking out because they think that Tiiktok is just going to disappear and whether or not this is the case, the urgency of this matter is extremely alarming. Although the Senate is taking its time to vote on this law, it will most likely be passed there too. Then we wait for it to be placed on Joe Biden’s desk. Biden claims that if it does, he will not veto it.
It’s crazy how fast something can change when the government agrees on it. However, it is saddening to hear that it is something as minor and insignificant as an app for teenagers to express themselves. They can’t agree on letting girls have control over their bodies, they can’t agree on healthcare rights, and they can’t agree that 327 is an unacceptable number of people who get shot every single day. The House has prioritized the passing of this law over all of these things and more.
The Chinese government has had access to all TikTok user’s information for years now and nothing bad has ever happened. But just the idea of it drives the government insane. Why don’t school shootings? Why doesn’t irreversible climate change? Why don’t the poverty rates? This is why the media is angry. It’s not because teenagers can’t bear the thought of not having their favorite app–although that is a valid concern–it’s that the people leading the country are putting their time and power into a bill that just isn’t important.
This is not a smart move on Biden’s part. He is actively losing support because banning the most popular app in the country adds to the list of things that he has done wrong with the country. With the presidential election coming up, it would be best for Biden to not do something that creates so much public outrage. Trump also has a leg up because he can say whatever he wants about the election, even if it’s not true. If Trump sees this as a way to gain support, that is most likely what he will do.
Regardless of TikTok going away or just being owned by an American company, the principle of it being so prominent within the government is ridiculous. TikTok is changing the poles for the election, it’s making people hate this country even more, and it’s wasting the time of the people who need to change things. Hopefully, TikTok will stay around, and hopefully, in the future, we will see the House, the Senate, and the President agree on something helpful to Americans.
