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TikTok ban: influencers fear careers will be destroyed, work will be ‘deleted forever’ as US ban looms

  • TikTokkers are stressed about a potential US ban, criticising the intentions behind it, arguing it would infringe on their freedom of speech and hurt the creator economy
  • The US House of Representatives voted to pass a bill that would force Chinese-owned ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US company or face a nationwide ban

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There are 170 million Americans on TikTok, and they’re stressed about a potential ban. Photo: Reuters

TikTokkers are stressed about the app potentially being banned in the US, saying it would be “devastating” to their careers since the businesses they’ve built would “shrivel and die”.

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The US House of Representatives voted on Saturday to pass a bill that would force Chinese-owned ByteDance to sell its US TikTok assets or face a nationwide ban.

The US Senate is likely to approve the bill this week. Once passed, the bill would mean TikTok could be banned in the US in 2025, but it could take even longer – if it happens at all.

Still, creators are unhappy, and see the move as hypocritical and infringing on their freedom of speech.

Those who want the app banned argue that TikTok may be forced into giving over user data to the Chinese government. They also fear TikTok could be suppressing or amplifying certain topics due to governmental pressure.

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Protests at US Congress after House passes bill that could potentially ban TikTok nationwide

Protests at US Congress after House passes bill that could potentially ban TikTok nationwide

TikTok has repeatedly denied these allegations and made attempts to distance itself from ByteDance.

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