Tik Tok is nearing a U.S. ban. Will Canada follow?

Biden signed legislation Wednesday that would force the sale of, or outlaw, social media platform

- ANDY TAKAGI

A Tik Tok content creator speaks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday before the bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

If TikTok remains in the hands of its Chinese parent company, the social media giant's days could be numbered in the U.S.

One of the few things American politicians seem to be able to agree on, a TikTok ban has made its way through both the U.S. House and Senate.

The ban was tucked into an aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and the bill was signed into law Wednesday morning by President Joe Biden. That has renewed scrutiny on TikTok in Canada after the social media app was removed from government-issued devices nearly a year ago.

Despite those national security concerns, nearly 76 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 24 were on TikTok, according to a 2022 survey from Toronto Metropolitan University's Social Media Lab.

But another survey, from a Leger poll in March, found that half of Canadians support the TikTok ban down south, with an increasing number of Canadians expressing concerns about their data security.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking at a housing announcement on Wednesday, said he would not comment on the U.S. bill but added that "Canada will continue to look very closely at how we can make sure we're keeping Canadians safe."

"We know that the security, the privacy and the data protection of Canadians needs to be a first priority for us," Trudeau added.

There's just this problem with privacy and information and who it's being shared with.

With widespread use among young Canadians, how would a ban in the U.S. affect users up north? And could Canada follow suit with its own ban?

Is the U.S. banning TikTok?