Potential TikTok ban in the US

Emma Kim, Section Editor of News and Features

March 19, 2024

On March 13, the House of Representatives passed a bill that could potentially ban TikTok in the U.S.

The House voted 352 to 65, with 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats voting in opposition. It is uncertain what the Senate’s decision will be, but President Biden stated he will sign it if it passes Congress.

The bill states that TikTok must find a U.S. buyer within six months or it will face a ban in the U.S.

TikTok is currently owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, located in Beijing, U.S. lawmakers who support the bill claim that TikTok poses a threat to national security since ByteDance could transfer U.S. citizens’ information to the Chinese government.

Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated on March 14 in CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that he is interested in buying TikTok and is putting a group together to achieve this.

Many TikTok content creators worry about this ban since it would negatively affect many small businesses based on TikTok.

If the bill were to be passed, TikTok would be removed from all app stores and would be inaccessible on U.S. internet browsers.

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About the Contributors

Emma Kim, Section Editor of News and Features

In her second year as a Chatterbox staff member, Emma Kim is enthusiastic to work as the Section Editor of News and Features. She hopes to improve her interviewing skills and develop her journalistic writing style. She was a club member during the 2022-2023 school year as a Feature Writer Kim also swims for WHHS and is currently on the Cincinnati Aquatic Club team. Kim hopes to attend college and major in pre-med. In her spare time, she enjoys playing piano and spending time with friends.

Marwa Khzir, Managing Editor of Online Content

In her third year as a Chatterbox staff member, junior Marwa Khzir is excited to work as the Managing Editor of Online Content for the Chatterbox. Marwa Khzir hopes to improve her writing while also publishing as many articles as she can for the Chatterbox. Khzir's previous journalism experience includes News Writing 1, News Writing 2 and B/W Photography. Khzir is also involved in various extracurricular activities such as a Student Ambassador, a member of StuCO 2025, and the Fundraising Head for YPC (Youth Philanthropy Council). Khzir hopes to get into Law School and be a defense attorney in the future, helping wrongfully convicted prison members with getting freedom. Khzir enjoys playing soccer with her family and a favorite pastime for her is baking goods with her mom.