TikTok, the short video platform known for its funny videos and user-generated content, is currently in transition. If Western governments have their way, the popular app should either be restricted to Europe and the US or banned altogether.
Last week, government employees in the UK were banned from downloading the app on official government devices. In doing so, they joined the European, US and Canadian governments, which are already under restrictions.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is concerned about security and the potential impact of data breaches. Many believe that the Chinese government could pressure companies to release users’ personal information. 20 percent of ByteDance belongs to the founder and China.
Of all social media platforms, none is as controversial as TikTok. Branded by some, TikTok is an aggregator of unnecessary content that keeps teens addicted to their screens and scrolling through videos for hours, leading to higher rates of anxiety, stress and depression, and weaker working memory, according to some studies. The whole point is that all that time spent scrolling could be used for something more productive.
Fashion brands that were initially skeptical have given ByteDance huge profits. In 2020, the company reportedly generated $34.3 billion in revenue, with much of that coming from advertising. While concrete revenue figures for fashion advertising on TikTok aren’t available, the platform has grown in popularity among fashion and beauty brands looking to reach younger, trend-conscious audiences.
Despite the well-known issues TikTok has with exposing younger users to inappropriate content, privacy concerns and the impact on mental health, the platform has proven to be durable, providing entertainment, a creative outlet and for many users a sense of community.
Competing platforms like YouTube and Instagram were quick to add short videos and similar algorithms, with the latter adopting Reels in 2020, at a time when TikTok was facing uncertainty in multiple markets over concerns about its ownership and potential security risks.
Until recently, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was little known outside of the tech industry. Unlike media-friendly Meta and Twitter bosses Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, he kept a low profile. But a proposed ban in the US would affect 150 million users, and Chew has faced a barrage of questions and scrutiny from US lawmakers this week about why the app is safe to use. While countries like Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India have banned the app on the grounds that it distributes “immoral” content, Western societies are more concerned about privacy, security and data breaches, especially when information is encrypted after China .
The US has called for the company to be sold to a non-Chinese company, while others say the US needs to enforce stricter online regulations in its own country, just as Europe has done with its GDPR protocols. In the United States, there are currently no nationwide privacy rights for citizens.
TikTok has 834.3 million monthly users
As a true communication channel, TikTok has accumulated a huge fan base and great advertising potential. While most brands and influencers also publish their posts on other social media channels, TikTok’s audience is significantly younger: 32.5 percent of users are between 10 and 19 years old; 29.5 percent between 20 and 29 years old – compared to Instagram, where the majority of the audience is between 25 and 34 years old.
It wasn’t all that long ago that after a murky takeover by Elon Musk and a surge in hate speech on the channel in 2022, questions arose about whether the fashion industry should leave Twitter. However, problems for TikTok appear to be mounting as regulators in the Netherlands, Italy and France are also investigating privacy practices surrounding personalized advertising and TikTok’s failure to restrict children’s access to the platform, Politico reports.
While fashion brands and creatives using the app don’t yet have a contingency plan in case TikTok is banned, it remains to be seen how long the dance-loving teens and fun videos will stay in their current form.
This translated article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk.