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It appears that the constant pressure to label TikTok as a threat to national security is working only on a few. A Pew Research Center survey shows that 59 percent of US adults see TikTok as a threat, but that perception varies depending on whether someone uses the service. Only nine percent of TikTok users see the social network as a major threat, while 36 percent of non-users feel the same. Overall, 42 percent of users see the service as at risk of any kind while 65 percent of outsiders are concerned.
You will not be surprised to hear that age plays a significant role in the perception of TikTok. Only 49 percent of users under the age of 30 see TikTok as a threat (only 13 percent as a greater threat), but those numbers get even higher with older demographics. Nearly 65 percent of people over the age of 65 are nervous about TikTok, and 46 percent of that group see it as a serious threat. Politics is also a factor. 76 percent of conservatives are concerned while 49 percent of liberals share this sentiment.
Pew said that about 64 percent of US adults are at least somewhat concerned about TikTok’s data management practices. Again, the figures change depending on age. Only 54 percent of those under 30 feel so, while 75 percent of those over 65 are concerned.
The study was conducted after Montana enacted legislation banning TikTok in the state, and not long after politicians from both major US parties called for a national ban. The platform is already banned on most federal devices. The logic is often the same. Officials worry that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance may be giving US users’ data to the Chinese government or influencing algorithms to spread pro-China propaganda.
TikTok has repeatedly denied influence from the Chinese government, and has taken several steps to reassure US politicians. It is storing US data domestically, providing transparency in its code and firing employees who improperly accessed sensitive data. However, those measures haven’t done much to reassure government representatives — and Pew data suggests the public is similarly wary.
