- Title: 'Gen Z would riot' if TikTok got banned in the US
- Date: 23rd March 2023
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY GRADUATE STUDENT, ANUSHKA SINGH, 26 YEARS OLD, SAYING: "I think Gen Z would sort of, in their way, riot around this. I don't find people going back to other platforms like Instagram or Twitter. I think that TikTok would find a way to stay or some corporation or another would try and buy them." JOURNALIST ASKING (OFF CAMERA): "TikTo
- Embargoed: 6th April 2023 19:09
- Keywords: Congress Gen Z New York TikTok
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002981123032023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced tough questions on Thursday (March 23) from lawmakers who are convinced the Chinese-owned short video app should be barred for being a "tool" of the Chinese Communist Party and because it carries content that can harm children's mental health, people in New York's Washington Square Park said if TikTok were banned in the U.S., "Gen Z would riot."
"Look at the range of content creators, my mom is a Gen X, so I don't think it's just limited to Gen Z, but I think they're the changemakers of making it stay if it were to get banned," said New York University graduate student Anushka Singh.
Singh said TikTok has more to offer "than just dancing on the app."
"Maybe get on the app and educate yourself," she said. "You'll find education videos, cooking videos, there's a whole range of content out there, you just have to consume it if you have the time."
Some Gen Zers were worried about how addictive TikTok could be.
"They're trying to cut back their screen time," said 19-year-old Paige Wilson. "They realize that there's an algorithm that's meant to keep them on the app and I'm not sure they like that."
"I'd say that screen time is definitely the bigger thing other than security when it comes to TikTok, it's that algorithm, it's made for that reason alone, to keep you on," said her brother, 20-year-old Carter Wilson. "I get on it maybe twice, but I can't count how many hours or minutes I've spent on that app just in those two times alone in that day. I'd say it's very addictive, once you get on, it's hard to get off."
Chew's testimony before Congress capped a week of actions by the Chinese company aimed at convincing Americans and their lawmakers that the app creates economic value and supports free speech. Instead, members of Congress accused the company of spying and deception, adding to calls to ban the app.
"It's a privacy breach," said 17-year-old Henry Deblois. "They collect a lot of data. I watched a video about the privacy agreement and apparently, once you agree to it, they can view your whole phone like they can see your contacts and such. I thought that that was pretty weird, so that's why I uninstalled it actually, because I just don't want them to collect data."
"I think it would be a real shame if it was banned in the United States," said Henry's mother, Carly Gaston. "I think information sharing and TikTok as a platform for that is exceptionally useful. I've learned more on TikTok about current events than I have through mainstream media because it's more easily accessible and it doesn't have to pass through a bunch of bureaucratic gates. It's freedom of information, and I think it's an awesome platform."
Gaston said she's not worried about TikTok collecting her information.
"They already have it," she said. "I'm sure they do. Facebook can sell your information as soon as you sign up for Facebook. They already have it. I do somewhat worry about the government usage, like government employees, but as private citizens, I don't think there's any greater risk than what we're already exposed to."
Singh agreed.
"Facebook's had our information for years, so I don't think the Chinese are a problem," she said. "Everyone's got your information. Google's had it for years. Everything that you ever clicked or searched on, everyone has your information. This is not about another country now, additionally, having your information."
TikTok, which has more than 150 million American users, was repeatedly hammered in the ongoing hearing where no lawmaker offered any support. Many, who often noted they themselves were parents, talked of a need to rein in the power held by the app over U.S. children.
Republicans and Democrats also raised numerous concerns about its potential to threaten U.S. national security by sharing its data with the Chinese government.
TikTok has said it has spent more than $1.5 billion on what it calls rigorous data security efforts under the name "Project Texas" that currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with Oracle Corp to store TikTok’s U.S. user data. It also says it strictly screens content that could harm children.
(Production: Evan Garcia, Douglas Higginbotham, Roselle Chen) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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