Reuters survey shows:

Majority in USA see TikTok as a Chinese tool

Due to their proximity to the government in Beijing, the Chinese parent company ByteDance and the app TikTok, which is particularly popular with young people, are suspected of espionage in numerous countries.

(Bild: Associated Press)

A majority of Americans see the controversial social network TikTok as a Chinese tool for influencing public opinion in the USA. 58 percent agreed with this statement, according to a survey of more than 1,000 adults published on Wednesday by the Reuters news agency and the IPSOS Institute. 50 percent of respondents are in favor of a ban on TikTok.

About 13 percent disagreed with the statement of an "influence tool", the rest were not sure or did not answer the question. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to believe that China is using the app to exert influence.

According to the survey, 50 percent of Americans support a ban on TikTok. 32 percent are against, the rest are not sure.

Only adults surveyed
However, only adults were surveyed - not younger Americans under the age of 18, who make up a significant proportion of TikTok users in the United States. Around six out of ten respondents aged 40 and over are in favor of a ban, compared to only four out of ten among 18 to 39-year-olds. A majority of 60 percent also consider it inappropriate for candidates for political office in the US to use TikTok to promote their election campaigns.

Due to their proximity to the government in Beijing, the Chinese parent company ByteDance and the TikTok app, which is particularly popular with young people, are suspected of espionage in numerous countries. Authorities fear that the People's Republic could take control of users' personal data and manipulate public opinion. TikTok itself claims to have spent billions on data security measures. The data of the 170 million US users would not be passed on to the Chinese leadership.

The USA recently introduced a law that obliges ByteDance to sell its US business within a year. Otherwise, access to the platform known for its dance videos will be blocked. By signing the bill, US President Joe Biden set the deadline for January 19, 2025 - one day before his term of office could end.