WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) stressed the growing threat that big tech companies like TikTok pose towards children. Senator Blackburn also highlighted how China-affiliated TikTok refused to appear before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security hearing on, “Protecting Kids Online: Internet Privacy and Manipulative Marketing.”

Click here to view the Senator’s remarks

Mothers Are Concerned About China-Affiliated TikTok’s Strategy To Keep Children Glued To The Screen

I am disappointed in how TikTok has refused to appear before us and remain disappointed in their lack of attention to data security and children’s privacy. TikTok is proving incapable of doing the right thing to protect our children…They have been accused of using algorithms to keep kids "scrolling" indefinitely. Alphabet, Google, and YouTube's parent company, [have] been accused of tracking children when they aren't using their school devices and using features such as "autoplay" to keep kids glued to their devices.

Children Are Addicted To Their Phones

Children born today will spend more time connected online than any other past generation. Companies use advanced data collecting techniques to gather and analyze the habits, movements, and interests to build out a Virtual You that only exists to cater to advertisers.

While I have spoken on this before, the impact this has on children can be even more detrimental. By taking advantage of the "always-on" mentality, children are constantly being tracked and analyzed.

Young Girls Are Susceptible To Bullying By Peers And Exploitation By Predators

Young girls in particular are susceptible to body image issues and decreased self-esteem from the distortions of reality present on many of these platforms. With so many children engaging in remote learning during the pandemic, it is more important that we remain vigilant as parents.

Companies like Snapchat have exposed children to predators and explicit adult content while using their products. With millions of teen users, disappearing messages, and a map of all of your contacts, this has become a child predator's dream.