TikTok Is China's Secret Weapon In America

China is desperate to keep TikTok in America. So desperate, in fact, officials are trying to woo Washington into rejecting any sort of nationwide ban on the app.

Of course China wants that. TikTok is making China smarter and Americans dumber.

They've done it by developing two different algorithms, namely, one for America that shows porn, violence, and mindless babble. There's another for Chinese citizens that promotes learning math and science among young people.

The idea is to make future generations of Chinese people smarter, and Americans dumber.

No wonder China wants TikTok in America so badly.

In addition to making us dumber, TikTok is also a great way for China to get its hands on the data of Americans. TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has already admitted that on at least two occasions the information of American journalists was handled improperly.

It's getting so bad that Breitbart's Alana Mastrangelo thinks the platform needs to be banned from America completely, opining that China is a hostile foreign country that is using TikTok to get U.S. teens to participate in trends that are dangerous and life-threatening.

In September, the FDA warned parents of a deadly new TikTok challenge that involves children cooking chicken in NyQuil, “presumably to eat.” The trend on the China-owned app was just the latest example of a dangerous stunt spread to young Americans.

Another challenge seen on TikTok in 2020 involved urging users to take large doses of the allergy medication Benadryl (diphenhydramine) to induce hallucinations. The challenge resulted in reports of teens being rushed to the hospital, and in some cases, dying.

Last year, school officials spoke out against TikTok’s “bathroom challenge,” which encouraged students to vandalize school restrooms. The challenge, also known as “devious licks,” involved videos depicting vandalism of trophy cases, hallways, and classrooms, as well as theft of fire extinguishers, school signs, and other property.

To add insult to injury, the Chinese app also rewards U.S. users by making them go viral or become “TikTok famous” for behaving foolishly. On one hand, this is accomplished by posting frivolous dance videos, but on the other, it is for popularizing dangerous trends or posting sexual content.

TikTok’s algorithm also makes it easier for teenagers to go viral and gain internet fame when they post sexualized videos. This has also taken a toll on teens’ mental health, according to mental health professionals. And the Chinese company seemingly tailors its algorithms to have different impacts on various communities. For example, a lawsuit filed in July alleges that TikTok pushes especially violent content on black teenagers.

Unlike other social media platforms — such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter — TikTok makes it much easier and faster for teens to obtain what they perceive as “fame” on the app, as Mastrangelo notes. This fame can come with a terrible price.