Majority of Americans brand TikTok as a Chinese influence tool, poll finds
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TikTok hasn’t been favored too kindly in a recent poll as a majority of Americans believe that China uses the social media platform as a way to shape U.S. public opinion.
According to a poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos, 58% of respondents agreed with a statement “that the Chinese government uses TikTok, which China’s ByteDance owns, to ‘influence American public opinion,’”
Only 13% disagreed with that statement and Republicans were more likely than Democrats to agree.
As the potential ban of TikTok looms, the poll “found 50% of Americans supported banning” the app “while 32% opposed a ban and the rest were unsure.”
The poll surveyed U.S. adults over the age of 18. Although the app is used across all ages, the largest proportion of TikTok users in the States are between 10 to 19 years of age (25%).
TikTok hasn’t responded to the poll or the request for comment by Reuters. They did tell Congress last year that it does “not promote or remove content at the request of the Chinese government.”
The company behind the popular video-sharing platform, ByteDance, has always defended the app’s safety regulations too.
Will TikTok be banned in the United States?
Last week, President Joe Biden signed legislation that gives ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets or face a ban.
The company has faced many unknowns over the last few months as the U.S. went through the process to pass the bill, but the end is now looking night.
The President commented on the bill saying: “Tonight, a bipartisan majority in the Senate joined the House to answer history’s call at this critical inflection point.
“Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: we stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression.”
Featured Image: Photo by Mourizal Zativa on Unsplash
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