A TikTok Story Where TikTok Isn’t the Biggest Problem

I have been nothing but consistent in arguing in these pages that it is always time to ban TikTok in the United States. The nefarious platform is owed the same deference from U.S. regulators that U.S. platforms are given by the Chinese Communist Party in China. (If you insist on viewing TikTok “content,” at least use ProxiTok.) One might think that this new BBC report about TikTok taking 70% of the proceeds being given to Syrian families begging for money on the platform would be another argument for banning TikTok. However, while TikTok should be banned, TikTok’s 70% cut is not the most questionable thing in the story.

Children are livestreaming on the social media app for hours, pleading for digital gifts with a cash value.

Yikes. While I wrote about issues involving children on social media generally and TikTok specifically in the past, this is truly next-level stuff. The small quote is only the beginning. Moreover, how does anyone even ascertain that these people are legitimate? According to BBC, “TikTok said it would take prompt action against ‘exploitive begging.'” While I would prefer that TikTok take prompt action against its own existence (by ending it), I venture no objection to its policy stance on this specific issue. (As for the 70% cut – you should probably not try to make a living on a Chinese social media platform which views you as a commodity.)