- On Thursday the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to pass a bipartisan bill that would force TikTok's owner to sell the app or risk being banned across the nation.
- Local Tiktok star Terrell Wade says that it took him years to grow his followers to an impressive 1.5 million.
- Video shows Wade's response to the news and thoughts on what should be done.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg. One of the most popular apps in America could be banned. And the idea of losing TikTok has some influencers in our neighborhoods speaking up on the app and in person.
From the outside perspective, Terrell Wade looks just like anyone else. But on social media, he stands out from the crowd.
"I've been able to grow my following in the past 4 years to over 1.5 million," said Wade.
But that growth may be coming to an end. This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to pass a bipartisan bill that would force TikTok's owner to sell the app or risk being banned across the nation.
"I kind of equate it to working and then getting laid off of your job. Because for other content creators like me, this is a way for us to entertain an audience, stay engaged with our audience, and stay creative using TikTok," said Wade.
Proponents of the bill say it's a security measure to avoid possible Chinese influence on our data.
"Chinese Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping, have their hands deep in the inner workings of the company, with devastating consequences for our own personal freedoms," said REP. Mike Gallegher.
But Wade says that there are two sides to the story.
"I think we focus too much on the negative aspects of social media rather than the positive aspects, and there are a lot of positive things about TikTok. I think we need to showcase a little bit more to show the government that it's not all bad," said Wade
As the bill is headed to Capitol Hill, TikTok is firing back by requesting users to call their representatives to vote against it.
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