A parents group is calling on the Trump administration to “make the safety of America’s children a top priority” as the deadline to strike a deal to save TikTok draws near.
On Wednesday, the executive director of the American Parents Coalition, Alleigh Marré, stated in a letter sent to Vice President JD Vance that “TikTok is a breeding ground for harmful content, exposing our kids to videos promoting self-harm, eating disorders, and dangerous so-called viral challenges.”
In the letter, Marré wrote that TikTok, the Chinese-owned platform, which has an American buyer to take over the company, regularly promotes “gender and sexuality content to minors” as well as suicidal ideation.
Part of the letter reads, “This is no accident. TikTok’s design is deliberate. The Chinese-owned algorithm is being used to endanger our children. TikTok’s algorithm preys on vulnerable minds by feeding a steady stream of toxic content, and it often happens without parents realizing it.” “In the waning days of your negotiations, I ask that you ensure this app has no connection to our country’s primary adversary. We cannot allow an adversary to have power akin to controlling all children’s television programming combined. TikTok cannot be owned, controlled, or influenced by foreign adversaries, and we must not allow those who wish to see our country fail to have the power to manipulate and poison our kids.”
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President Trump declared he would “save TikTok” through talks with American buyers following an app blackout that lasted around 14 hours, days before his inauguration. As it stands, many high-profile groups are vying to purchase TikTok’s U.S. operations, including investor Kevin O’Leary, a consortium featuring influencer Jimmy Donaldson, known as “MrBeast,” former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, the founder of Employer.com.
An AI firm, Perplexity, has also shown interest. TikTok’s current U.S. tech partner, Oracle, is also considered a strong contender. The parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, could reportedly retain a stake in TikTok, with further investments from U.S. investors like General Atlantic and Susquehanna.
A bipartisan 2024 law gave TikTok nine months to either sell off its stake in ByteDance, its parent firm in China, or risk being removed from U.S. app shops and hosting providers. Two days prior to the deadline, on January 17, the Supreme Court considered the prohibition but decided not to declare it illegal.
In a December amicus brief, Trump’s lawyers urged the Supreme Court to delay any prohibition until after Trump assumed office. The court failed to do so, and Trump then issued a 75-day suspension on enacting the ban on Inauguration Day. Saturday marks the end of that delay.
Trump said Sunday aboard Air Force One, “We have a lot of potential buyers” of a possible sale of TikTok.
He told reporters, “There’s tremendous interest in TikTok.” “The decision is going to be my decision. I’d like to see TikTok remain alive.”
According to the company’s reports, there are roughly 170 million active American users on the social media app.
