The Biden administration has issued a warning to ByteDance, a tech company headquartered in Beijing, that they must divest their ownership in TikTok or risk a ban in the United States.
The U.S. government has expressed concern over the potential for the Chinese government to access private user data or spread misinformation through TikTok, a social media app featuring short videos. In response, the administration has considered banning TikTok as part of its efforts to regulate the app.
What is the likelihood of TikTok Becoming Less Popular Over Time?
In February, the White House announced that TikTok must be removed from all government-issued devices due to national security concerns. However, exceptions are made for law enforcement activities, national security interests and activities, and security research.
If TikTok is banned in the U.S., its users may switch to other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. Advertisers are also curious about where these users may go.
The following five charts provide an overview of TikTok’s worldwide prevalence.
If TikTok were to be banned, would its users transition to other social media platforms?
According to a poll conducted by Cowen Group, there is data on potential actions of TikTok users if the app were to be shut down in the U.S.
TikTok’s Global Growth
Despite facing challenges in certain regions, TikTok’s growth potential remains high due to its strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region where 60% of the world’s social network users reside.
Insiderintelligence.com predicts that TikTok will experience the highest rate of growth among social networks in the Asia-Pacific region this year, surpassing even larger competitors like Instagram with a user increase of 13.6% compared to 7.3%.
India banned the app in June 2020 due to a geopolitical conflict with China. The ban was based on a law that allows the government to block websites and apps in order to protect the country’s “sovereignty and integrity.”
The number of people using TikTok is uncertain since it’s owned by a Chinese company. China censors internet access, making it hard to determine the app’s usage in China. Bytedance, TikTok’s parent company, released the app in 2016, and it’s called Douyin in China.
The Following Countries Are Among The Top Users of TikTok.
Before its ban in India, the country had the highest number of TikTok users. Currently, the United States has the largest audience for the app.
A statistical analysis of TikTok users in the US.
What is the average amount of time that Americans spend on TikTok?
The popularity of TikTok in the U.S. presents a challenge for potential banning, as the app has been downloaded 400 million times in the country – a higher number than any other social app since August 2018, according to Apptopia.
Data shows that American users spend approximately 60 minutes per day on TikTok, which is more than any other social network.
What are the reasons for the concerns surrounding TikTok?
According to the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission, there is concern that ByteDance may share TikTok user data with the Chinese government.
Starting in 2017, the Chinese government mandated that companies provide relevant personal data for national security purposes. Although there is no proof that TikTok has surrendered data, American officials are alarmed due to the app’s extensive data collection.
Four employees at ByteDance were terminated in December for accessing data on two journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times. The purpose of their access was to locate the source of a leaked report regarding TikTok.
According to a TikTok spokesperson named Brooke Oberwetter, the breach was a serious misuse of the employees’ authority.
Some individuals are examining the content on TikTok and its potential impact on teenagers’ mental health. According to a report from the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate in December, TikTok videos related to eating disorders received 13.2 billion views.
The Pew Research Center reports that approximately 66% of American teenagers use TikTok.
