New poll shows dramatic drop in support for banning TikTok among adults and teens since March
The percentage of US adults who support banning TikTok has sharply fallen from '50% in March to 38% now,' according to Pew Research Center
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A new poll from Pew Research Center indicated that decreasing numbers of American adults and teenagers want TikTok to be banned.
TikTok, a viral social media and video-sharing app, is owned by parent company, ByteDance. Bytedance is a Beijing-based technology that has been scrutinized for its close relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. It has also come under fire for its algorithms and effect on teens' mental health.
Despite politicians steadily condemning the platform for being a risk to national security and children, recent polling from Pew Research Center indicated that support for banning TikTok has fallen sharply among citizens.
"The share of U.S. adults who say they would support the U.S. government banning TikTok has declined from 50% in March to 38% now, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted this fall," the survey research firm wrote. "And more are opposed to or uncertain about a potential ban today than earlier this year."
TikTok on App Store displayed on a phone screen and TikTok logo displayed on a screen in the background are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on August 13, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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While increasing amounts of American citizens across multiple demographics are unwilling to ban the platform, there are some salient differences between political alignment and age.
Fifty percent of Republicans in the most recent survey indicated they are in favor of banning the platform, though this has fallen by 10% since March.
Meanwhile, the shift for Democrats has been more noticeable as they flip-flopped from being more likely to support than oppose a ban in March, to now being more mixed, as "33% are opposed, 29% are supportive and 38% are not sure."
Among teenagers, 44% of Republicans and 58% of Democrat teens are against banning the platform.
Photo shows the ByteDance building of Shanghai ByteDance on December 8, 2020 in Shanghai, China. (Xing Yun / Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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While adults under age 30 have remained consistently against a ban, older groups of adults are shifting closer to their perspective, as "36% of those ages 30 to 49 now support a ban, down from 45% in March, 39% of those ages 50 to 64 support it, down from 54%," and then "49% of those 65 and older support it, down from 71%."
While one of the major contrasts of opinion has been between users who are against the ban and non-users who are in favor of banning TikTok, "Support for a ban among non-users has dropped by 13 percentage points, while uncertainty and opposition have ticked up."
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Support for banning the platform has fallen even among those aware of TikTok's connection to China. Pew Research Center said, "among the public, people who know about this tie have become less supportive of a ban. In March, 60% of those who knew ByteDance is based in China said they would support the U.S. government banning TikTok. By contrast, 43% of those who know about that connection in the new survey would support a ban."
