CIA chief warns of TikTok toxicity to childrens
Source: (
https://bit.ly/3Ve59UE)
In a recent interview with PBS (
https://to.pbs.org/3BQPDaJ), Burns
was asked about his recommendation to people regarding their kids'
usage of TikTok.
"I'd be really careful," he replied.
When asked if he would add anything more, Burns responded, "No,
really careful." He said it was "genuinely troubling" how the Chinese
government is able to manipulate TikTok.
"Because the parent company of TikTok is a Chinese company, the
Chinese government is able to insist upon extracting the private data
of a lot of TikTok users in this country, and also to shape the content
of what goes on to TikTok as well to suit the interests of the Chinese
leadership. I think those are real challenges and a source of real
concern," he said.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) called
for banning TikTok, arguing that the app exposes minors to "violent,
depraved, degrading sexual material," and body image issues for young
girls. This is the kind of stuff that Beijing would "never" let Chinese
teenagers watch. TikTok is also a risk to data security and privacy,
he noted.
Tiktok's algorithm is programmed in such a way that the app displays
different content, and recommendations, for Americans compared to
Chinese users.
"If you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, why in the
world would we allow a Chinese-owned company, which has to
answer to the Chinese Communists, to be one of the largest media
platforms in our country?" Cotton asked.
"Would we ever have allowed Soviet Russia to own a major newspaper
or a major broadcast network during the Cold War? Of course we
wouldn't have."
Cotton went on to criticize the Biden administration for "sending
signals" that it might tolerate the use of TikTok in the United States
despite the "grave threats" the app poses to the nation.
Teenage Self-Harm
Burns' warning about TikTok use comes as a new report by the Center
for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that the app is pushing
self-harm and eating disorder content into children's feeds. Imran
Ahmed, chief exec of CCDH, insisted that TikTok was designed
to influence young users into giving up their time and attention.
The app is "poisoning" children's minds, promoting "hatred" of their
own bodies, and pushing suggestions of self-harm and potentially
deadly attitudes towards food, he stated.
"Parents will be shocked to learn the truth and will be furious that
lawmakers are failing to protect young people from Big Tech
billionaires, their unaccountable social media apps, and increasingly
aggressive algorithms," Ahmed said.
Last month, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Senate
Intelligence Committee, told Fox News that TikTok is an "enormous
threat." He also admitted that former President Donald Trump was
"right" about the danger the app posed to America.
"So, if you're a parent, and you've got a kid on TikTok, I would
be very, very concerned. All of that data that your child is inputting
and receiving is being stored somewhere in Beijing."
The state of Indiana has filed two lawsuits against TikTok, blaming
the social media app for falsely claiming it is safe for children and
illicitly sending data of Americans to China.
In a statement, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita called TikTok
a "malicious and menacing threat" that the company knows will inflict
harm on its users.
"With this pair of lawsuits, we hope to force TikTok to stop its
false, deceptive, and misleading practices, which violate Indiana
law," Rokita said.
Republican governors from states like Iowa, South Dakota, Texas,
Utah, South Carolina, and Maryland have announced a ban on the
use of TikTok by state agencies or on government devices due to
security concerns.
