The proposed ban of TikTok in the U.S. over national security concerns poses a challenge for President Biden’s reelection efforts, as his campaign and other Democrats increasingly rely on the platform to engage younger voters.
TikTok’s user base skews more Democratic and includes key voting blocs like young people, Blacks, and Hispanics.
If signed into law, a ban could displace many in the electorate from accessing political information on TikTok ahead of the 2024 election.
While the White House says national security outweighs campaign concerns, Biden’s campaign joined TikTok this year to boost outreach.
Some argue a ban would deny free expression and take away a favored outlet.
The ban risks “displacing a large part of the electorate from the ability to communicate…meaningfully about politics at a time when a highly contentious election is about to occur,” journalism professor Samuel Woolley said.
“We voted Joe Biden in through social media, through the power of TikTok,” wrote self-identified transgender NaomiHearts. “Why just TikTok?”
The ban would remove young voters “favorite social media app where they get their news, where they follow their favorite people where they get entertainment, where they’re allowed to basically escape,” plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Youn said.
“This is a critical national security issue,” House Republican Steve Scalise wrote.
The administration is waiting to see if the Senate passes the bill before determining the potential impact.
“We are not concerned about the impact” of a ban, a White House official stated. “There are lots of twists and turns before anything ends up happening here.”
“National security concerns outweigh how anyone is feeling,” another official said.
“The president is not thinking of national security based on reviews from users on whether they are happy or not on TikTok or any other platform,” the official said.
Biden staffers can still access TikTok separately from government work due to different rules.
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