A recent survey by market research firm Savanta reveals that only 28% of Americans favor banning TikTok. It was conducted among 2,000 American adults aged 18 and above from March 19-25 to discuss the ongoing debate over TikTok's future in the United States.
Ethan Granholm, a research analyst at Savanta, revealed to Gizmodo that younger age groups, which are important for election results, are particularly against the idea of banning TikTok. Many of them stated that they would either find ways to bypass the ban or switch to other social media platforms, such as YouTube and Instagram instead.
The survey also brings attention to wider concerns among Americans about data privacy and how social media might affect elections, with 69% advocating for increased protection of personal information and 46% expressing concerns about social media's role in elections.
Based on Granholm's reflections, these concerns from the survey may allow American consumer actions to shape TikTok's destiny. Therefore, the platform should be urged to address privacy concerns proactively and rebuild user confidence.
The findings come in the wake of the passage of the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" by the U.S. House of Representatives. Or the TikTok Ban Bill, which aims to address concerns about TikTok's ownership by China-based ByteDance, according to VCPost.
Despite the TikTok ban bill's substantial margin of approval -352 votes in favor and 65 against-clear partisan divisions were not evident. This lack of distinct party lines leaves the legislation's future uncertain as it awaits consideration in the U.S. Senate.
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