U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer expressed concerns over China's influence on American youth through TikTok, stating that China can "control what an entire generation of Americans see & consume every single day." He also expressed approval of the Appeals Court's decision to uphold the TikTok ban. Gottheimer made these remarks in a December 9 post on X.
"Using TikTok, China's government has the ability to control what an entire generation of Americans see & consume every single day — including anti-American and hate-filled content," said U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Rep from NJ. "I'm glad the Appeals Court ruled to uphold this critical legislation to force a sale to protect our national security and the safety of our children."
TikTok has responded by filing an emergency motion to pause the U.S. law set to ban the app next month, as reported by ABC News. This request aims to provide the Supreme Court with additional time to consider reviewing the legislation. The motion follows TikTok's recent defeat in a Federal Appeals Court challenge against the measure.
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President Joe Biden signed legislation in April that could lead to a TikTok ban unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform within 270 days, setting a deadline for January 19, 2025. Currently, over one-third of American citizens use TikTok.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, there are two potential outcomes if ByteDance is required to divest from TikTok: selling its operations to an American company or intervention by President-elect Donald Trump. U.S. Representative Mike Waltz said on Fox Business Network that Trump wants to "save TikTok."
The Pew Research Center reports that 62% of American adults under 30 and a majority of U.S. teens use TikTok. Support for a U.S. ban has decreased from 50% in March 2023 to 38% in Fall 2023. However, 59% still view TikTok as a threat to national security, with more Republicans (41%) than Democrats (19%) considering it a "major threat."
Gottheimer represents New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District and serves on two committees: the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the National Intelligence Enterprise Subcommittee.
