TikTok, a popular video-sharing site, has been under investigation from several state attorneys general. And a group called the CFIUS, which is the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, may also order that ByteDance, a private company that owns TikTok, be sold.
State attorneys general are investigating
The bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general announced an investigation into TikTok, a social media platform that promotes itself to kids. They will investigate whether the platform violated any consumer protection laws, and if it put kids at risk. This group is led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, but several other states are also participating.
Last year, Facebook whistleblower Haugen released documents revealing the company knew about the harms it was causing to young people. The reports were published by ABC News. Another report from the Wall Street Journal found that the company was serving promotional videos for online drug products and encouraging eating disorders.
Eight state attorneys general have joined together to launch an investigation into TikTok. The investigation will focus on the impact of the platform on kids and teens. It will also examine how TikTok works to get users to engage with its content.
While the investigation is focused on public safety, it is also looking into the potential negative effects on mental health. In particular, it will consider whether TikTok’s algorithms and policies are helping to harm kids’ emotional and physical well-being.
While Attorney General Knudsen is conducting the investigation in Montana, there are also attorneys general in other states that are helping out. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong wrote a letter to TikTok leaders in October, urging them to meet with him and the other attorneys general. That meeting is expected to take place later this spring.
A spokesperson from TikTok said that the company has done all it can to keep its videos safe. However, some trends were too dangerous for the company to ignore. Those include the use of laxatives after meals and promoting drinking less water. There are other concerns, too, including threats of violence on the platform.
TikTok is a fast-growing app that focuses on a younger demographic than other social media platforms. It is also one of the largest social networking sites in the world, with an estimated 1 billion monthly users. Because it has such a large user base, it has become a frequent subject of news reports.
CFIUS could order ByteDance to sell TikTok
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is expected to decide whether ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the popular TikTok app, can sell its U.S. assets to a foreign entity, such as Walmart or Oracle, in an effort to address concerns about the potential threat to national security.
TikTok and CFIUS have been in talks for months. They expect to settle on a deal that includes data security requirements for the company. However, the government could still retaliate against TikTok and refuse to approve the sale of its assets.
Earlier this year, President Trump issued an executive order that was supposed to address the potential security risks posed by TikTok. However, the order was temporarily put on hold while Congress addressed the issue.
During the last two years, TikTok has continued to work with the CFIUS. The committee has raised concerns about the company’s relationship with the Chinese parent firm, ByteDance. As a result of those concerns, the company was ordered to divest its operations in the U.S. Within ninety days.
But while the CFIUS is working on the divestiture order, the White House is preparing an executive order that will limit the ability of foreign-owned apps to collect data from U.S. users. It will be a limited version of the president’s original order.
According to reports, TikTok has a deal with Oracle that would allow the firm to become a “trusted technology partner” for the company. This partnership would enable the Chinese Communist Party to continue to control TikTok, even if it is sold to a US company.
However, despite the agreement with CFIUS, many lawmakers remain skeptical. The Treasury Department is also concerned about possible legal challenges.
Moreover, the deal leaves the national security concerns over the company’s relationship with the Chinese government unchanged. In addition, the deal carries valuation and regulatory uncertainties.
For months, the Biden White House had considered drafting an executive order banning the TikTok app. However, the administration was unable to finalize the order, which is a result of a temporary injunction that prevents the government from enacting the order.
Safety and privacy protections for teens
TikTok, the popular video and music sharing app, faces increasing pressure to address safety and privacy concerns for teens. The company has made several changes to ensure the safety and security of its users.
A series of new privacy pop-ups will let users know their preferences. For example, users aged 13-15 will not receive push notifications after 9 p.m., and accounts for teenagers 16-17 will not receive them after 10 p.m.
TikTok has also launched a “Family Pairing” feature, which will suggest questions parents can ask their teens. This should help parents and teens understand how to use the site safely and responsibly.
Other changes include ad targeting restrictions based on age and gender. YouTube is owned by Google, which has likewise announced new privacy protections for kids.
TikTok has a dedicated Safety Centre, which aims to foster a safe environment and educate users about how to protect themselves. Users are also able to report any objectionable content to TikTok. There is also an option to block accounts and disable features.
In January, TikTok made several changes to its privacy settings. These included limiting push notifications, limiting the ability to post videos, and requiring parental approval. It was also the first major app to bundle parental controls into its app.
Since then, several other major companies have followed TikTok’s lead in introducing features to safeguard the privacy of their youngest users. Facebook, Twitter, and Google have all rolled out their own versions of these new features.
While these changes are a step in the right direction, they are not perfect. They still fail to address the primary concern for most parents: the safety of their children.
Despite the new features, TikTok and other digital platforms continue to face scrutiny for the potential harms to children. As a result, it is essential for companies to regularly test their products and perform risk assessments.
While parents and educators should be cautious of what their children see on these platforms, the good news is that young teens are more aware of risks and how to stay safe online than adults.
Addiction potential for young people
In recent years, research has focused on the potential addiction of young people to TikTok, a social media application. TikTok is a mobile video platform that allows users to make short videos. The app was first launched in China in 2016, and has since spread internationally. With more than one billion monthly active users, the potential for addiction among this group is becoming more and more evident.
Although there is no official data to indicate the prevalence of addiction, some studies have shown that there is a connection between the use of TikTok and addiction. These research findings are based on a small sample of youths. However, the study may have suffered from external validity issues due to the sample size and recruitment method.
One reason that the overall sample was small is because of the age range of the participants. Another is that the sample was recruited from the internet, which may have affected its representativeness.
For the analysis, a questionnaire was completed by participants. This included questions about the participants’ social media activities, as well as their social, psychological and physical characteristics. A BSMAS scale was also used, which was developed to measure the severity of social media addiction.
Results showed that a high percentage of teens who participated in TikTok were at risk for addiction. Addiction is characterized by an unhealthy and obsessive use of the platform. Often, the user’s perception of their body is distorted, and they are fueled by appearance-related anxiety. Those who have a higher level of anxiety are more likely to become addicted to the application.
Other factors that affect the social media addiction of adolescents are their relationship status and local accommodation. Those who live in a rural area or have a single parent tend to have a higher social media addiction score. Singles also tend to have a higher level of addiction.
Overall, these results suggest that more research should be done to assess the addiction potential of TikTok users. There is a need for treatment programs to address the needs of young people. Until then, parents should be vigilant about the potential effects of the excessive use of TikTok on their children.