- 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): "TikTok is like the voice of Gen Z?" ANUSHKA SINGH: "Yeah, and I think like everyone else too, 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." (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISITORS FROM COLUMBUS, OHIO, 19-YEAR-OLD PAIGE WILSON AND 20-YEAR-OLD CARTER WILSON, SAYING: PAIGE WILSON: "I don't know. I don't know if it's actually going to happen. They talk about it a lot and they've tried to and I don't know if they'll actually be successful with it." CARTER WILSON: "I've heard a lot of stuff about how they're just going to ban it for government officials because they're wary about security issues and that makes sense. But I'm not sure what it would mean for people like us, just general people. I don't have very much impressive stuff on my phone, so I don't know what anybody would want with that." PAIGE WILSON: "It'd be a loss of a source of entertainment. Instagram's already starting to have a feature where it's like TikTok, which is like the reels, it's like where TikTok goes on Instagram and I'm sure if they just get rid of TikTok, the reels will just become more important and there's no way they're getting rid of Instagram." CARTER WILSON: "I think a lot of it's just because it was created by a Chinese company and I think there might be a little bias with that. I think that's just the main thing with that, with the security." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY GRADUATE STUDENT, ANUSHKA SINGH, 26 YEARS OLD, ON HER MOTHER WHO IS A CONTENT CREATOR ON TIKTOK, SAYING: "She's an influencer who gets sponsored by a lot of brands. We're not necessarily at the money-making stage, but she has about a quarter of a million followers, so on our way. So I'm more invested in her success. I think that a lot of people my age constantly use the app for entertainment purposes and I mean, it's probably the most popular app out there, right? So I would be bummed." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISITORS FROM COLUMBUS, OHIO, 19-YEAR-OLD PAIGE WILSON AND 20-YEAR-OLD CARTER WILSON, SAYING: PAIGE WILSON: "Our generation is starting to realize how addictive it actually is, and they're like, trying to cut back their screen time and things like that. They realize that there's an algorithm that's meant to keep them on the app and I'm not sure they like that. And on Instagram, they feel like it's less of an algorithm, more like you're looking for specific things that you want to see." CARTER WILSON: "Yeah, I'd say that screen time is definitely the bigger thing other than security when it comes to TikTok. Again, it's the algorithm, it's made for that reason alone, to keep you on. 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. So yeah, I'd say it's very addictive, once you get on, it's hard to get off." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT, YALIS SAMELA, 24 YEARS OLD, SAYING: "I can understand why they would ban it. I didn't know the Chinese were keeping our data, but as far as banning certain social media, I definitely advocate for that. I would think, you know, you can use social media as a really good thing to spread information, spread awareness, implement change. But the flip side to that is that people are easily influenced. I think it, you know, it hurts our mentalities. I think we should just go back to building blocks and toys and playing outside rather than, you know, being consumed by social media and the false reality of it." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY GRADUATE STUDENT, ANUSHKA SINGH, 26 YEARS OLD, SAYING: "No. At this point, Facebook's had our information for years, so I don't think the Chinese are a problem." JOURNALIST ASKING (OFF CAMERA): "Facebook is American." ANUSHKA SINGH: "Yeah, so everyone's got your information. Google's had it for years. Everything that you ever clicked or searched on, like, everyone has your information. This is not about another country now, additionally, having your information." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT, YALIS SAMELA, 24 YEARS OLD, SAYING: "Personally, I don't really have anything to hide. I mean, I don't mind people having access to the information besides, you know, my Social Security, my ID, and stuff. But, if you have nothing to hide, then why be so obsessed with the fact that people can see you." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES IN THE RAIN (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISITOR FROM TORONTO, CANADA, HENRY DEBLOIS, 17 YEARS OLD, SAYING: "Makes sense, I guess, because it's like a privacy breach, right? Because 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 don't know, I just don't want them to collect data." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT, YALIS SAMELA, 24 YEARS OLD, SAYING: "I understand that people prioritize their privacy, and I think everyone has a right to have their own privacy. People should have the right to either say yes or no with someone asking for their information." (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISITOR FROM TORONTO, CANADA, MOTHER OF HENRY DEBLOIS, CARLY GASTON, SAYING: "I actually enjoy TikTok quite a bit. I use it more as a search engine than anything else. In Canada, where we're from, the government has banned it off of government employee phones, but not nationwide for private citizens. I think it would be a real shame if it was banned in the United States. 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." JOURNALIST ASKING (OFF CAMERA): "So you don't worry about giving your information to the Chinese government?" CARLY GASTON: "They already have it. 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." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY GRADUATE STUDENT, ANUSHKA SINGH, 26 YEARS OLD, SAYING: "Maybe get on the app and educate yourself. I think there's more than just dancing on the app. 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." VARIOUS OF WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK
- 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
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None