OPINION:
The most popular social media app went dark over the weekend. Teenagers around the country were briefly forced to find something to do besides endlessly scrolling through frivolous videos on TikTok. The Chinese-controlled social media app’s days have been numbered since Congress enacted a law banning it in April.
As the deadline loomed, many TikTok users migrated to Red Note, an alternative still under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party. Red Note is more accurately translated as “Little Red Book,” and it isn’t proscribed. This suggests curbing China’s influence on American youths may not be Capitol Hill’s priority.
Donald Trump granted TikTok a reprieve on Monday. As the app’s owner is headquartered in Beijing, the CCP has direct access to the company’s data and influence over management. This raises alarms, but it is not so different from what happens here.
Uncle Sam spies on every bit of data flowing over the internet, as confirmed by Edward Snowden’s unauthorized disclosure of classified documents a decade ago. A search engine called Prism presents the private communications of all 340 million Americans in a convenient format to anyone with access. Congress has never addressed this flagrant violation of the Fourth Amendment.
As for influence on privately owned platforms, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and others took direct orders from the Biden administration to suppress content from Mr. Trump and other conservatives. Congress is also silent on this.
Lawmakers won’t even do anything to stop the sale of made-in-China phones or smart television sets, both of which gather vast stores of data from U.S. citizens. A real privacy solution wouldn’t be limited to a single platform.
The TikTok bill gave the president authority to delay enforcement for 90 days, so Mr. Trump has put a deal on the table. “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump developed a soft spot for TikTok after his son Barron persuaded him to use it during the campaign. His popularity surged in the younger demographic. A CBS News poll released Sunday showed two-thirds of Americans younger than 29 are optimistic about Mr. Trump’s return to the White House.
It makes sense to cultivate an appreciation for the “make America great again” agenda among those hardest hit by the left’s reckless spending. The basic elements of the American dream — particularly homeownership — are increasingly out of reach to those just starting out.
While it makes political sense to rescue TikTok, ensuring millions will continue to consume rapid-fire trivialities in vertical video format will have a corrosive impact on the national discourse. The CCP recognizes the danger of an algorithm that rewards short-attention spans and time-wasting. Beijing wants its citizens to learn and explore, not perform silly challenges and dances. That’s why TikTok as we know it is forbidden in China.
Washington’s concern over the app’s Chinese origin would be more credible if the more serious security threats were addressed. It’s not a stretch to imagine liberals support the TikTok prohibition only because they want to decide what content gets censored.
As desirable as it might seem to encourage young people to put down the smartphone and read a book, that role is better left to parents. The new president deserves the time to work out an arrangement that satisfies legitimate concerns.
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