NORFOLK, Va.— It's an app that many people enjoy, but lately there's been some pushback from lawmakers about TikTok.
Last week, the Senate approved measures to ban TikTok on U.S. government devices. It's a move made out of security concerns, leading cybersecurity experts and parents to weigh in.
It's a guilty pleasure app for 23-year-old Monica Puentes, but a growing list of U.S. governors and lawmakers say the Chinese-owned company is a cybersecurity risk.
"I get on the app more than a couple times a day, it's relaxing," said Puentes said. "I enjoy seeing stuff, I post some stuff. It's just a fun way to get your voice heard out there."
On Friday, Governor Glenn Youngkin became the latest governor to ban the popular app on state-issued devices.
After Youngkin signed the executive order, sent a statement saying in part:
“TikTok and WeChat data are a channel to the Chinese Communist Party, and their continued presence represents a threat to national security, the intelligence community, and the personal privacy of every single American. We are taking this step today to secure state government devices and wireless networks from the threat of infiltration and ensure that we safeguard the data and cybersecurity of state government.”
Puentes said she believes a new app will be created if TikTok is banned.
Attorney General Jason Miyares joined 14 other attorneys general to take action, demanding Apple and Google increase their age ratings for the app.
Len Gonzales with Ally Cyber Investigations, LLC, explained concerns government leaders across the nation are sharing about the app.
"When we have a platform such as TikTok, whose parent company is a Chinese company, then it does pose national security threats," said Gonzales.
Gonzales says this can be concerning if a person works at a military base or state facility.
"I believe that the alarm should be on right now and people should be well aware of what TikTok does," said Gonzalez.
As the app remains top of mind for many lawmakers, parents are doing everything they can to protect their children as they scroll through the platform.
"I don't know how you would control it or how you would put a stop to it but I do think it's a threat," said David Everett, parent.
Everett's 13-year-old daughter, Mariah, disagrees.
"I end up being on it for like two to three hours, Mariah said. "It's addicting to keep scrolling and you don't realize the time passing by."
Parents are trying to get a handle on the constant exposure to content that could potentially be unsafe.
"It just needs to be more controlling," David Everett said. "I'm not a big TikTok fan or internet fan."
The U.S. Senate passed a bill in 2020 to ban TikTok on government-owned devices but it never passed the house. Other bills to regulate or ban TikTok and other apps are also pending in Congress.
