TikTok ban will end over 200,000 careers

Following the House’s approval of a plan to outlaw the popular app TikTok, educators, activists, small-business owners, and youthful users of the app hurried to comment on Wednesday, many of them stating that the platform is becoming more and more important to the US public life and economy.

TikTok has 170 million monthly users in the US alone. The app has grown to become one of the most widely used social media platforms after rebranding under the name TikTok in 2018. A vast number of video creators earn a living off the app. It has propelled musicians and influencers like Charli D’Amelio, Doja Cat, and Lil Nas X to sudden stardom.

The company claims that over 7 million American businesses use TikTok to market or sell their goods. In a report released on Wednesday, the financial consulting firm Oxford Economics said that TikTok helped small company owners make $14.7 billion in sales last year and added $24.2 billion to the GDP of the United States. Additionally, the study discovered that TikTok sustains a minimum of 224,000 jobs in the United States. The biggest economic effects observed in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois.

TikTok has grown to be a significant centre for education in addition to its commercial influence. The company has collaborated with over 800 public figures, publications, educational institutions, and subject matter experts through its #LearnOnTikTok campaign to add educational content to the app. Additionally, organisations and educators who create instructional content are awarded funds from TikTok.

In a video response to the House decision, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew called the outcome “disappointing”. He urged users of the service to voice their opposition to the legislation.

“We have made investments over the last few years to safeguard your data and prevent outside interference on our platform,” he stated. We promise that we will keep doing this. The United States will outlaw TikTok if this proposal is enacted into law. Additionally, it will deprive small firms and inventors of billions of dollars.

Experts say the bill would work as a ban. However, supporters of the House measure maintain that the bill is not meant to outright ban the app. The law would force TikTok to be sold to an American company in 180 days. A deadline that many believe is impractical. Therefore, web hosting companies would not be allowed to offer the app to the general public beyond that point.

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