On Friday, March 8, 2024, President Joe Biden said that if legislation banning TikTok made it to the Oval Office, the act would be signed into law. In a plan introduced by the Trump administration, the ban will be avoided if ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, divested into an American company. Out of speculation of the Chinese government selling the data of American users, Representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. 

Lincoln Southwest students don’t seem to have too many worries about the ban or potential security concerns.

“I don’t have any problems with China or their government,” senior Thienan Vu said. “I think everything about TikTok is 100 percent safe for all of its users.”

With a monthly user base of 1.22 billion, TikTok is the world’s sixth largest social media app. Students do still feel safe using TikTok due to the strength of the United States’ internal safety. 

“I don’t think China stealing data is a problem,” junior Carson Vance said. “The United States is a safe country, and I don’t think that China can attack us.”

Some students even believe that concerns regarding TikTok are completely illegitimate. 

“If China is stealing data, I guess they’re stealing dances,” sophomore JR Wattjes said. “I think it’s just the government seeing something that could possibly turn into a threat. I think the government is over-concerning themselves.”

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which would effectively ban TikTok if not divested to an American company, is currently pending a verdict from the United States Senate.