TikTok has become a discussion in many political conversations. Many users first heard rumors of TikTok being banned back in 2020 and this year there is now some truth to those rumors. The U.S. Government has started fighting against TikTok and its relationship to China.

The United States government believes TikTok is spying on the U.S. On March 23, 2023 CEO of TikTok, Shou Chew went before congress and testified on behalf of TikTok. Despite all of his reassurances that TikTok isn’t taking its users’ information, the U.S. continued to take steps to protect itself from the potential danger of TikTok. 

At least 25 states, including Idaho, New Jersey, and Ohio have all banned TikTok from state government devices. Oregon has not banned TikTok yet but according to Oregon Public Broadcasting, “State employees will need to limit TikTok binges to their personal phones if a bipartisan bill before the Oregon Legislature moves forward as expected.” 

Summit High School Sophomores Teague Friesen and Rose Brandt both agree that TikTok should be banned from government devices. 

Some states are taking it a step further. On April 14 Montana became the first U.S state to officially ban TikTok on all personal devices. The SB419 legislative bill is, “Banning TikTok in Montana; prohibiting a mobile application store from offering the TikTok application to Montana users.” Montana is one of the first states to take further restrictive action against a social media platform. Many other states like Oregon still haven’t moved very far in terms of banning TikTok or making more extensive social media restrictions.

In Utah, Governor Spencer Cox has signed two new laws which will possibly take place and help keep minors safe and protected from the potential harm of social media. 

According to the Guardian, “the Governor of Utah signed social media legislation requiring parental permission for anyone under 18 to use platforms such as TikTok, instagram and facebook.” This new restriction can help kids stay off their screen and can also prevent things like cyber-bullying. 

Summit High School Sophomore Leila Olson agrees by saying, “Yes I think there should be some restrictions because of bullying and cyberbullying.”

The new laws in Utah also ban social media companies from using algorithms that cause minors to develop an addiction to the platforms. With these new restrictions adults have a lot more parental control over their child’s social media use. 

The Guardian also reports that “the new law [prohibits] minors from accessing social media without their parents’ consent [and] would also allow parents or guardians to access all of their children’s posts…The platforms will be required to block users younger than 18 from accessing accounts between 10.30 pm and 6.30 am unless parents modify the settings.” 

Both Montana and Utah are working to take steps to limit different social media platforms from teenagers and keep kids off of TikTok. 

So what is next for Oregon? 

If or When TikTok is banned from government devices, Oregon may then decide to not do anything to further restrict social media in general or specifically TikTok. Oregon could also take action to restrict only TikTok from general devices like Montana, or put up social media restrictions for minors similar to Utah.