GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — From classrooms and dinner tables all the way to Capitol Hill, the potential TikTok ban is a major topic around the country.
This week, the U.S. House advanced a bill to the Senate that would force the Chinese company that owns the social media app to sell the platform to an approved buyer.
If not, it risks being pulled from app stores in the U.S.
"There's a lot of misinformation out there, and I intend to clarify it. You know, there's a lot of noise but I haven't heard, you know, exactly what we've done that's wrong. As you know, it's very disappointing for us that the bill passed in the House of Representatives. You know, we looked at it, this is a ban bill. You know, in this form, if it's passed into law, this is a ban on the app in this country. It's going to impact 170 million Americans who use our app. It's going to impact 7 million small businesses, and I hope their voices are heard," TikTok CEO Shou Chew said.
Chew has been on the hill lobbying senators and telling TikTok users to contact their representatives. He hopes this concerted effort will block the TikTok legislation, which President Joe Biden previously has pledged to sign.
Many users saw a message on their TikTok app conveying a call to action Friday. One that urged users to call their senators to vote no on the ban.
Brook James expressed her disappointment with the potential ban.
"It's something that makes me laugh, and it gives me information. You know, I do a hard job for work. I work in hospice, and it's kind of a break from what I do," James said.
James often finds herself on the app for hours.
"I'll start my morning with it. Start my day off right. And then come home, relax a little bit of some TikTok and then before bed," James added. "We live in a day and age where cameras are everywhere like people are constantly getting our data. There are so many different ways. So to say that TikTok is what's gonna take our data and end us you know, it's a bit much."
TikTok's message to users on Friday warned about the possible shutdown and how users could lose their right to self-expression and see the communities they love.
"The government being involved in banning anything. Just seems to set a terrible precedent," Uzo Iwuagwu said.
Iwuagwu downloaded the app a while ago but says he hardly uses it.
"I don't see much difference between it; Instagram, Youtube shorts, it's all kind of the same and YouTube's easiest one for me to use. So that's what I use," Iwuagwu explained.
YouTube, like many other platforms, has started using the short vertical videos made by popular TikTok. Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram has Reels.
Dallas Downing says he already finds himself spending more time on meta platforms.
"More like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook more than TikTok," he added.
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